This can happen through a program of engagement with the key players and working within their community structures and capabilities. In fact, it is an example of the NHW ethos of doing something to make a positive difference – as opposed to not doing anything!

New Norfolk is a picturesque town towards the upper reaches of the Derwent River, about 35 kilometres from Hobart. It is the business hub for the immediate community and the local government centre for the Derwent Valley Council which boasts a population of 11,000. Many people liken New Norfolk to their image of a quaint English village.

Neighbourhood Watch was re-established in New Norfolk in 2018 to improve the connection between residents and the local police and grow community relationships. It also sought to educate and inform residents about crime rates; how to protect themselves and their families and encourage people to report any suspicious behaviours to the Police.

In late 2023 Tasmania Police conducted a community survey, “…to get feedback on local crime and safety concerns, police performance and other issues…” across the state. There are 29 local government areas in Tasmania, and despite its tranquil setting, and the efforts of the previous NHW committee, the Derwent Valley did not fare well in community concerns expressed in this survey. In a nutshell, the significant community concerns were:

Although one in ten Tasmanians wanted police to be available for more hours (night policing or 24/7 police stations) this sentiment in the Derwent Valley was the highest in the state at 39%.

With regards to the community perceptions of community safety, people in the Derwent Valley rated the highest in Tasmania with 38% who felt significantly less safe.

The survey found that people in the Derwent Valley were significantly less likely to agree that Tasmania Police were accountable, with this belief being recorded for 36% of people reporting from that area.

This was not a glowing report card for this small community. However, to give Tasmania Police their due, it was a brave and honest effort to get an accurate perspective from the people they serve to guide planning and the allocation of police resources, efforts and tactics into the future.

Whether by fortune or design, the survey report was released only a short time before the change in NHW committee leadership. The new Coordinator Shemi Rubin, supported by a fresh committee, proposed that a more active approach to garner community attention and action was needed. The intention was to have a plan and then work with the key community leaders to monitor progress, report on the successes and highlight where there were perceived weaknesses.

The plan identified four key and linked factors that could have a direct impact on the wellbeing of their community, particularly if each of the links were working towards a common goal. The committee recognised politicians as the elected community leaders who had a lawful ability to resource the police whose role it is to prevent and investigate crime and offences. The fourth component of the model is the community which is the ingredient that NHW have a very real opportunity to harness and legitimately influence the three other factors.

In a matter of just a few months, NHW in New Norfolk have done the following things to pursue their objectives – lawfully, respectfully and within the scope of their plan. The NHW team also identified their own key performance indicators to build community awareness and contributions to the things that they can legitimately do.

Their list of activities so far is provided as a record of what can be activated in a short period of time – but also as a ready reference for other communities who might want to do things that can generate a collective conversation and subsequent change for the better.

Jessie, Mandy, Robert, David and Shemi representing the New Norfolk NHW.

The objective to increase the NHW membership to 10% of their community has been advanced by the following activities that also promote the purpose and intentions of Neighbourhood Watch:

• Forming a small working committee to drive their planning and activities.
• Documenting their plan and listening to their community feedback.
• Requesting 3,000 Join Neighbourhood Watch Today Pamphlets from Neighbourhood Watch Australasia (NHWA) for a letterbox membership drive.
• Applying for a $500 grant to fund a Join Neighbourhood Watch Today mail out to 2,500 local homes, the remainder were hand delivered by volunteers.
• Designing their own street signs and applying for a separate community grant to fund ten new signs to be erected throughout the town.
• Inviting all local politicians, to attend their committee meetings.
• Inviting their local police and Community Engagement officers to their meetings.
• Promoting the use of Crime Stoppers to their community through many communication forums and using those statistics as further evidence of community concerns about crime and anti-social behaviour.
• Promoting their activities through their website, social media sites, local schools and newspapers, the New Norfolk Times and the Derwent Valley Gazette; and using those forums to publish regular police crime reports.
• Designing a specific NHW sign to go in the windows of shops and businesses throughout the town to promote their support for each other and the desire to reduce offending within their community.
• Promoting use of the Snap, Send Solve App as a simple but effective way for anyone to help keep shared spaces safe, clean and great to be in.
• Reinforcing the importance of community members being prepared to call out bad behaviour by repeating the quote from Lieutenant David Morrison that, The standard you walk past is the standard you accept.

And this is just the beginning. At the time of writing this article the Minister for Police has accepted an invitation to meet with the NHW team, additional police officers have recently been assigned to the station, and extra police patrols have been reporting on their activities.

This article has been headed as a Case Study in Progress to highlight good work and contribute to a longitudinal review of the contribution that an active NHW can make to the wellbeing and safety of their neighbourhoods. There is no finish line to improving the place where you live!