Community Partnerships

Working in partnership with the people of Queensland is a fundamental principle of modern policing as practiced by the Queensland Police Service. These community partnerships not only enhance crime prevention services to seniors, but also allow seniors to actively participate in creating a safer community. This section provides an overview of these services and community partnership opportunities.

Volunteers in Policing

Volunteers in Policing (VIP) are based in local police establishments. They work with police to address customer service, community safety and crime prevention. The range of tasks which they undertake complements, rather than competes with, the roles and responsibilities of paid police officers and staff members. Some of these tasks include:

• providing support to, and assisting, victims of crime;
• offering referrals to other agencies;
• liaising with community groups and participating in community-based activities;
• conducting home security assessments and engraving property;
• managing key holders’ index for businesses;participating in crime prevention initiatives;
• assisting police with customer service; and
• assisting with school-based crime prevention projects.

To pass through the selection phase of the program VIPs must:

• be 18 years and over;
• be willing to participate in a mandatory training program;
• agree to the Queensland Police Service conducting a national criminal history check;
• be prepared to participate in the VIP Program for at least 12 months; and
• be willing to work a minimum of four hours per week and a maximum of 16 hours per week.

Volunteers interested in joining the VIP Program should contact the Regional VIP Co-ordinator in their police region or visit the Queensland Police Service VIP website at: www.police.qld.gov.au/join/vip

Neighbourhood Watch

Neighbourhood Watch (NHW) is a program organised by the community to help reduce residential crime. It is about working together as a community to improve personal safety and household security. Most importantly, it is about encouraging interaction and fostering a sense of responsibility between neighbours and communities.

Householders are encouraged to join together in small informal groups for the purpose of improving the safety of their families and other neighbourhood residents. It is not a police scheme. Police only lend their expertise to enable residents to organise themselves for the purpose of minimising crime in their community. NHW will only work if the community supports the scheme.

To find out if NHW is active in your area contact your local District Crime Prevention Coordinator or the NHW State Office on (07) 3234 2111. Further information on NHW can be obtained from the Queensland Police Service NHW website at: www.police.qld.gov.au/nhw

Safety Audit Program

The Safety Audit Program is for people who want to feel safer in their public space and who are prepared to do something to contribute towards that. Safety Audits are about improving the physical environment in ways that will reduce opportunities for crime.

Safety Audits are also about making public places like parks, bus stops and streets safer for everyone. Safety Audits aim to:

• identify possible crime sites in public spaces;
• address crime-related safety concerns by making recommendations to appropriate authorities and owners of spaces that assist in removing or reducing opportunities for crime; and
• enable the community to monitor the implementation of recommendations made.

For further information on the Safety Audit Program or how to conduct one in your area contact your local District Crime Prevention Coordinator or visit the Queensland Police Service Safety Audit website at: www.police.qld.gov.au/programs/crimeprevention/audit

Community Consultative Committees

Community Consultative Committees (CCC) are established to develop synergy between police and community, in a police district, division or region, which allows police to serve their community in an informed and co-operative way. The aims of CCCs are:

• to provide a forum for discussing matters of concern relating to the policing of our community;
• to arrive at decisions resulting from those discussions and, where necessary, act upon such decisions;
• to promote and develop a genuine partnership between the police and your community;
• to act as a facilitating agent through which representations can be made at a local level for the purpose of improving the service provided by police; and
• to make our community aware of police service policies, ideas and directions.

For further information on CCCs or how to establish one in your area contact your local District Crime Prevention Coordinator or visit the Queensland Police Service CCC website at: ww.police.qld.gov.au/services/general/community/default.htm

Safety House

The Safety House Program is a community-based and funded program with a network of easily identifiable houses and businesses for use by all members of the community whenever they feel unsafe when out and about. A Safety House can be a house, a shop or a business. The program also aims to play a proactive role in community safety, by providing personal safety education programs in participating schools.

A Safety House can be recognised by the distinctive yellow Safety House plate on or as close as possible to the letter box. Seniors are encouraged to identify Safety Houses in their local area and to use them should they feel unsafe or require assistance. Further information about Safety House can be obtained from your local District Crime Prevention Coordinator, the Safety House Association of Queensland on (07) 3356 9922 or by visiting their website
at: www.safetyhouseqld.org.au

Police Citizens Youth Club

Police Citizens Youth Club (PCYC) is Queensland’s largest not-for-profit charitable youth and community development organisation. The PCYC work with governments and local communities to deliver affordable and quality recreational, sporting, cultural and welfare programs to more than 68,000 members.

Many centres have tailor-made activities for seniors including bingo, Over 50s Club and low-impact exercise classes. The best way to find out what suitable activities are available to you and/or your family is to phone or visit your local PCYC branch. Contact details for PCYCs can be located in the White Pages under PCYC or on the PCYC website at: www.pcyc.org.au