City of Cockburn - Wetlands to Waves

 
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• Community Crime & Safety Alert
• Community Walking Groups
• Business after Hours Emergency Kit
• Clean up Crime
• Report Danger Zones
  

Now is your chance to Join the Team as an Active Volunteer of the revitalised Cockburn Neighbourhood Watch and help unite your community for the wellbeing of all. You can celebrate joining the large friendly and dedicated team that makes Cockburn NHW so successful with a Party on us!! (see application form for details)

An example of why knowing your neighbours and having positive communication with them is so important to the people in your neighbourhood:

A new family moved into a Cockburn street and kept to themselves for a long period of time. After they had been living in the area for some months they discovered they were being visited by a prowler, especially when the husband was not home. As a result they decided it was time to meet their neighbours and warn them that this was happening. Upon meeting their neighbours they soon found much to everyone's surprise that a number of the neighbours had been visited over the past few weeks too. Together the neighbours reported the incident to the Police and Community Security Service. As there was a number of reports concerning the incident the Police and the Community Security Service designated their street a "hot spot" and increased patrols through the street at varying times of the day. No prowler was caught, however, no prowler was seen again either.

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Neighbour Support Program

The first step in creating safer, more confident neighbourhoods is to bring people together and this is available to all new Cockburn NHW Active Volunteers through the Meet the Neighbours Program.

Once you become a Cockburn NHW Team Member you are able to assist your community further by providing all your new friends, your neighbours, with access to the Neighbour Support Program.

The Neighbour Support Program provides each participating neighbour with a laminated list of each others contact details for Home, Work, Mobile, I.C.E. (In Case of Emergency) Number and the Emergency Services numbers. The Neighbour Support List comes

Having the ability to call a neighbour if you are in your home and concerned about a prowler, are being broken into or have had an accident is extremely valuable.

They can call another neighbour and ask them to call the Police and Community Security Service and call other neighbours to come to your aid.

Neighbours can contact you if something odd or suspicious is taking place at your home whilst you are not there, giving you the ability to call the Police and Security Service before you go home to look after the problem. Your neighbour can make themselves visible by calling another neighbour to meet them in the street outside your home for a chat that will help to deter any further suspicious activity.

IMPORTANT! When going to your neighbour's aid DO NOT try to tackle a prowler or burglar as they may be violent!! It is usually enough for them to know that other people are paying attention. Call out to your neighbour, make noise and watch them leave.

IMPORTANT! When going to your neighbour's aid DO NOT approach a prowler or Burglar on your own. Always make noise to try and scare them away whilst you wait for the company of another neighbour or two.

Good communication always builds stronger relationships and Cockburn Neighbourhood Watch invites you to join the team and enjoy helping your neighbourhood become an even better family friendly place to live.

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Community Crime & Safety Alert

Communication is vital to community safety and wellbeing. Communication with the Police, the Community Security Service, the Rangers and each other.

If the Police and Security Service are not told of incidents, no matter how big or how small, that are taking place in your neighbourhood they are unlikely to be aware of a growing problem until it is too late. Good information means good prevention and clean up rates, both of which contribute to safer and more confident communities.

Many people are afraid to report incidents for two reasons:

The first is that the matter is not important enough to waste the time of our very busy Police and Security Service. Any Police Officer will tell you that every piece of information could be valuable, it could be the final piece of that jigsaw puzzle they have been trying to solve. They have all the other pieces but one is missing .... the one you don't think is important enough to give to them.

Apart from being honest citizens the greatest help we, the people, can give to the police is providing information. Without information the Police cannot do their job as well as they would like. Information can lead to prevention and we all know prevention is the best cure.

The Second is fear of reprisal. It is a common myth that the Police use your name and address over their radios and that the "bad guys" can hear this. When you call the Police you can ask for your name not to be broadcast or for the attending police not to call at your house.  Additionally calling Crime Stoppers is confidential and can lead to a reward.

It is common knowledge that the Police need witnesses to appear in court if they are to make an arrest. It is also true that information received can be accumulated to enable the police to develop an operation based on their own observations made on the basis of information received, such as on a drug den.

Now you can take advantage of the communication processes of Cockburn Neighbourhood Watch to both inform the Police, the Security Service and people in your neighbourhood in complete confidence if you wish. Simply complete the Community Crime & Safety Alert form and send it to the City's Community Neighbourhood Watch Officer (NHW)  

The information will be recored by the City's Community Neighbourhood Watch Officer (NHW), transformed into a public alert, provided to the Police for approval then sent to your local Cockburn Neighbourhood Watch Team members as a Crime and Safety Alert for distribution to letterboxes in the relevant area.

This program serves to provide information to the Law Enforcement Agecies as well as alerting the people in your neighbourhood to activities to be on the look out for. After you have received a Crime & Safety Alert,  if anyone reports activity from the Alert, you can be sure the police are already aware of the issue and will welcome up to date and on the moment information.

To find out more about the Crime & Safety Alert download the the programs documents or contact the City's Community Neighbourhood Watch Officer (NHW).

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 CLean Up Crime

REPORT ..... REPORT ..... REPORT!

REPORT IT AT THE TIME, EVERY TIME!

Whenever you have the opportunity to talk with the Police they will tell you every time that they need the community to REPORT any incidents no matter how large or small. Police have an overview of issues affecting the community and you one piece of information might help something they are investigating make sense.

Cockburn Neighbourhood Watch has first hand knowledge of the importance of reporting matters to the Police as the result of the close working relationship these organisations have developed. In a bid to help encourage the community of the importance of reporting crime and antisocial behaviour, the City distributed fridge magnets to every household in Cockburn through Neighbourhood Watch with the call to action "Clean Up Crime - At the Time Every Time". When the Police changed their reporting line to a new number Cockburn Neighbourhood Watch delivered new stickers to every household in the City so residents and businesses could cover their original Clean Up Crime Magnet and have the Police contact details at their fingertips.

Your safety and the safety of your neighbourhood can be greatly improved if you don't fall prey to the thought that "someone else will have called the Police". The more people that call, the more notice will be taken, so if something happens in your street, whether its hoons or an assault or prowlers, change your thought to "I hope everyone else is calling the Police too!"

If you need a new Clean Up Crime Sticker or magnet please contact the Community Neighbourhood Watch Officer (NHW) with your name and address.

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Community Walking Groups

Community Walking Groups are not only good for your health and fitness, they also serve to make your neighbourhood a safer place and are a great way to get to know people socially.

How do they make your neighbourhood safer?

By showing a presence on your streets you make your neighbourhood less attractive to burglars and presently most domestic burglaries take place during the day when the "bad guys" think there is no one to see them. Just as the bus drivers, posties and Council workers are taking part in the "Eyes on Your Streets" campaign, so too are you.

Additionally the Community Walking Groups are able to spot work that is needed with footpaths, roads signs and rubbish and are encouraged to report them to the City for action.

Each Community Walking Group has at least one Walk Leader who is trained to lead a Walking Group, provided with First Aid Training, a first aid kit and a walk leader jacket.

New Community Walking Groups are encouraged and anyone interested in taking up this valuable pastime can visit our Cockburn Walking Groups page for further information

 

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Business After Hours Emergency Kit

The City of Cockburn , WA Police, Community Security Service, the Melville Cockburn Chamber of Commerce and Cockburn Neighborhood Watch have created a partnership to provide Cockburn businesses with this FREE Emergency After Hours Sticker.
 
City of Cockburn Businesses are being provided with this sticker as the result of communication and cooperation between these organisations as they work together for the benefit of the City's business community. This program was developed in response to a Protect Your Business Forum.
 
There is no cost attached to this exceptional service which enables the Police and Community Security Service to more easily contact you if there is an after hours emergency (fire, flood, break in, etc..) involving your business.
 
All you have to do to take advantage of this service is follow the instructions provided when you receive your sticker. These instructions inform you how to create your security code and where to place the sticker in your window.
 
Once done you need do no more unless your contact details change.

Report Danger Zones

The City of Cockburn has developed a program to make your suburb safer by identifying locations that could potentially provide cover for criminal activity called Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED).

If you know of an area that could be made safer by opening up its visibility to the public notify the City's Rangers and Community Security Service by Making a Customer Request.

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