How to Conduct a Safety Audit Step 1

Forming your Safety Audit Steering Committee

The first step in implementing a Safety Audit is to hold a public meeting with all interested groups and individuals in your local area.

Your local police District Crime Prevention Coordinator can arrange for a speaker to attend the meeting and explain the programme in detail.

Once a public meeting has been held and a motion passed to conduct a Safety Audit, a steering committee must be formed.

The steering committee is the key to managing a local safety audit and guiding it to a successful conclusion.

The steering committee will:

• oversee the Safety Audit process;
• generate interest and involvement from relevant local agencies and local police;
• make arrangements for a public meeting and or other publicity strategies to obtain volunteers for the safety audit teams;
• arrange training and an information session for Safety Audit volunteers;
• ensure that all volunteers involved in the safety audit process are aware of the need to carry out Safety Audits in a safe and secure manner;
• specify the streets, locations and issues to be audited ;
• receive and prioritise the results of the team reports and individual Safety Audits;
• prepare an action plan containing possible solutions and responsible agencies;
• establish a process for ongoing monitoring of the final action plan; and
• identify firm commencement and completion dates for the Safety Audit.

A chairperson/coordinator should be chosen from attendees at the public meeting.

The coordinators main role is to determine who will complete tasks and also to assist in the completion of those tasks.

Publicity

The steering committee will publicise the Safety Audit and details of forthcoming meetings.

Some means to gain publicity include:

• letterbox drops;
• brochures (Safety Audit brochures can be made available) ;
• putting up posters and community service announcements in local newspapers, radio and television.

Supplies and Costs

Encourage your group to talk about ways to take on the project with as few costs as possible. You might want to consider sharing costs by requesting a local organisation/s to sponsor some resources or costs e.g. the use of meeting rooms or the donation of some items listed below.

Some general items you might consider necessary or desirable that may be sponsored are:

• photocopying;
• brochure printing;
• the provision of name tags;
• refreshments ;
• postage; and
• telephone calls.

Insurance

The Queensland Police Service does not provide volunteer workers personal accident insurance and public liability insurance coverage in relation to the Safety Audit Programme.

Basic insurance cover may be provided by your local council to conduct a Safety Audit. Contact your local council or council member to confirm.

The Neighbourhood Watch Programme provides insurance coverage for Neighbourhood Watch Areas that conduct a Safety Audit. Contact the State Coordinator, Neighbourhood Watch Program on (07) 3234 2111 for further details.

It is a requirement that all Safety Audits are registered (refer Registration Form) PRIOR TO THE SAFETY AUDIT BEING UNDERTAKEN. Contact the State Coordinator, Safety Audit Programme on (07) 3234 2111 for further details.

Safety Audit Registration Form