By ALESHA CAPONE
BRIMBANK residents have ranked their perceptions of safety in public places at night as ‘poor’.
Last week, Brimbank City Council released their 2012 Annual Community Survey, which revealed how the municipality feels about various issues including public security.
The study was compiled by Metropolis Research personnel, who interviewed 800 Brimbank households during November and December last year.
The annual community report showed Brimbank residents view night safety in public areas as 5.82 out of 10, which Metropolis rated as “poor”.
Metropolis compared Brimbank’s scores against a survey they conducted of 1000 residents from across Melbourne and the West.
They found Brimbank’s perceptions of night safety were “measurably lower” than the Melbourne average of 7.1 and the western average of 7.2.
Brimbank residents ranked safety in public areas during the day at 7.93, which was also “measurably lower” than the Melbourne and western averages.
However, residents in Brimbank’s north east – comprising Keilor, Keilor Park, parts of Keilor East, Tullamarine, Keilor Lodge and Taylors Lakes – rated their safety at 8.5.
In contrast, opinions of general safety in and around Sunshine scored 6.24, St Albans 6.46 and Watergardens 7.56.
Security perceptions of travelling on Brimbank trains rated as 6.1, compared to the Melbourne average of seven.
Brimbank’s Acting Police Inspector, Tim O’Connor, said the recent provision of protective services officers (PSOs) at Sunshine, St Albans and Watergardens Railway Stations has increased safety.
Insp O’Connor also said the Safer Communities Task Force was established in Brimbank last year, focusing street robberies, assaults and anti-social behaviour in the three locations.
“We now expect that enforcement and crime prevention effort to drive down the volume and nature of crimes in those centres,” he said.
The survey rated the council’s overall performance was as 6.58 out of 10, a decline of 1.3 per cent since 2011.
But the council’s scores rose to 6.47 for planning approval processes, 7.33 for services and facilities and 7.76 for customer service.
