Government Grant for Community Safety Information Guide

The State Government recently announced $1 million in grants for local organisations for improvements to safety and security.  Over 150 grants were made from the Community Safety Fund.  Manningham NHW was one of only two NHW groups in Victoria that received a grant.  The grant of $9785 is for the development of a Community Safety Information Guide.

There is currently a range of individual documents relating to home security and crime prevention issues. A recent review of information that is currently available, indicated the need to consolidate, update and combine the information, into an easy to read Community Safety Information Guide for Manningham residents. Such a guide would advise how best to potentially prevent a crime occurring with emphasis on home, vehicle and personal safety. The guide would be particularly useful if the resident has become a victim of crime, by assisting with local information.

The main aims and objectives of the project are to:
• Provide a Community Safety Information Guide in an easy to read format beneficial for all members of the community;
• Provide a ready source of information on how to prevent crime and what steps to take should a person become a victim of crime;
• Promote Neighbourhood Watch and develop stronger links in the community, and encourage participation from various members of the community in NHW meetings and activities;
• Reduce the social isolation of residents who move into the area, by promoting the Know Your Neighbour campaign to provide a sense of ”reconnection” within their community; and
• Package all of the information in a “Welcome Pack” which would be provided to new residents and distributed to attendees at key Council and community events.

The project has commenced and is expected to be completed by the end of September 2012.