Community bonds reducing crime in Wurtulla
Sun 13 December 2009
Alana Iles, Bachelor of Journalism
Being a good neighbour has become more than a casual smile over a shared fence on the Sunshine Coast.
Every Sunday for the last seventeen years, Wurtulla residents Kerry and Jean Belcher have met with a group of their close neighbours and local friends.
The group of 14 have congregated each weekend on the Belcher’s driveway for “a beer and a cheer”, sharing stories, a laugh and some good neighbourly company.
“Some people live next door to each other and don’t even talk,” Mr Belcher said.
“I think that’s wrong.
“Everyone who walks or drives past we give them a wave or invite them over, even people we don’t talk to.”
Having lived in the hustle and bustle of Brisbane, the couple said they had never before experienced anything like the closeness of the Wurtulla community.
“We have never had a problem with this neighborhood,” Mrs Belcher said.
“Everybody is always looking out for one another.”
The close group said they could be found meeting on the Belcher’s driveway each Sunday for the rest of their lives.
The Sunshine Coast district crime prevention coordinator Senior Constable Mark Readman said that crime rates had dropped by 24 percent since 2007 thanks to the help of neighbors like Kerry and Jean.
For 39 years, community groups such as Neighbourhood Watch worked together with Queensland Police to improve and build relationships within the community.
“Watching out for your neighbors is like adding a layer of security to your home,” Sen-Constable Readman said.
“Neighborhood Watch is the eyes and ears for when the police aren’t there.”
In October, 2009, Queensland Police encouraged the community to take part in Australia’s Crime Prevention Month.
A number of activities and seminars were organized within the community, encouraging the public to make crime prevention a priority.
The month long celebration spotlighted the use of successful crime prevention techniques, surrounding the four themes of Safe House, Safe Street, Safe Place and Safe Queensland.
Each of these themes promoted the importance of creating good relationships within the community and between neighbors.
Prevention techniques such as locking away valuables, installing security screen doors, marking or engraving property and taking part in a neighborhood watch group, were just a few suggestions made by Queensland Police to prevent crime.
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