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- 5 June 2007
Youth Ticketing Programs
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Speakers - Fardell Mrs Dawn
Business - Private Members Statements
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Page: 767
Mrs DAWN FARDELL (Dubbo) [6.06 p.m.]: I inform the House of an innovative program that is in operation around the Dubbo community involving the police, the business community, particularly the Dubbo RSL, the Dubbo City Council, the Department of Education Training and the Dubbo Chamber of Commerce that have shown foresight and courage in engaging youth through a positive ticketing program. Without the leadership of these organisations and the passionate resolve of Detective Inspector Mick Willing and school education director Ann-Marie Furney, the adoption of this successful program, which originated in Canada, would not be possible.
Understandably, it has taken considerable work to reach the stage at which the program is in operation. The program serves as an extension of the already-successful work of the Get Smart Anti Truancy Program, which is a process that has evolved through the wider community. It has been heartening to be involved in the initial process and to assist in shaping the project. The ticketing program will provide a useful tool in tackling many of the issues confronting young people who may feel lost or who are at risk of falling into a life of crime. Young people have been shockingly subjected to pointless criticism by some small and small-minded sections of the community whose views on youth crime and prevention methods do not extend past a string-them-all-up mentality.
Combined efforts and dedicated research enable us to reach out, educate and encourage our children but that approach appears to be somewhat too progressive for some individuals. I suspect they still dwell on the days when children were to be seen and not heard, least of all helped. While some sections of the community may have failed to embrace or appreciate the remarkable steps taken by our youth workers, police liaison officers and education professionals over the years, the potential of these programs has not been lost on the vast majority of the Dubbo community. The concept behind the youth ticketing program and Get Smart is sound and has proved successful in other communities that share the same confronting issues. Architects of these programs are already looking to the future and are using the schemes as one of a number of strategies.
It would be remiss of me not to inform this House of the origins of latest measures. The pilot positive ticketing programs, which were created in Canada, were officially launched in Dubbo on Tuesday 29 May. Superintendent Ward Clapham of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police led the positive ticketing charge through abiding by a philosophy of building social assets, especially by promoting good behaviour among youth and recognising achievements. During 2001 in the Richmond community, Superintendent Clapham and his fellow Royal Canadian Mounted Police officers began to encourage their communities' young people to do better things. Similar to Dubbo's lead of initiating whole-of-government meetings, this innovative reward system soon took shape and made large social impacts. Soon in Richmond, Canada, those same at-risk and disconnected young people, aged between 13 and 17 and repeatedly in trouble with the police, found other areas where they could focus their energy.
The town's antisocial behaviour, loitering and other problems remarkably decreased when this program was used in conjunction with other measures. Building on this program, the police and youth workers developed a strategy to build the confidence of the entire community. In Toronto, the program has been adopted as a normal policing practice among numerous Canadian communities. Manchester in the United Kingdom has also adopted the program and it has now spread its wings to Australia in Dubbo. Everybody involved in these programs overseas has remarked that this is an avenue that can be travelled by many more communities, and people overseas are only too willing to cooperate.
Using those experiences from education and policing authorities around the world, Dubbo has proudly taken the step to apply them to specific local purposes. That will be an additional tool for the Dubbo police and the Department of Education and Training to assist our own youth and will have benefits throughout the wider community. On 29 May 2007 it was announced that 30 police officers would be involved in the Get Reading Program to assist youths in the classroom. And, you guessed it, some critics have come out and slammed that program as well! Today's Daily Liberal stated that crime figures are significantly down in Dubbo in the past two years. Assault has gone down 19 per cent, break and enter down 43 per cent, malicious damage down 12 per cent, stealing down 38 per cent, and stolen vehicles down 57 per cent. In the past two years stolen vehicles have gone from 112 a month down to seven last month.
Critics are still carrying on and saying that nothing is working. Acting Detective Sergeant Mark Meredith said that the figures not only are rewarding for local police, but also are a credit to the community as a whole. He said that police are receiving more relevant information from members of the community, which enable them to act timely. He said that they were at a two-way street and the Dubbo community has confidence in their police. Those statistics were based on the crime categories that I mentioned. The most dramatic reduction was in the number of break and enters, a 43 per cent reduction in the past financial year. The community has helped in arresting crime. Today's editorial in the Daily Liberal stated that the crime figures should silence critics. Statistics can be manipulated and numbers can be spun to suit just about any agenda. Yesterday's local crime rate figures are good news for Dubbo, no matter from which angle they are viewed.
There are various conclusions to be drawn and explanations to be extracted from the breakdown of the statistics, but for the most part the figures speak for themselves. It would be naïve and dangerous to think that crime will ever be stamped out anywhere, that we will not always have a drug and crime culture. Yesterday's crime figures were significant and should help to silence the critics. I encourage all members of the House to find out about the ticketing program and follow on with the fine example set by the Dubbo Orana local command.
Private members' statements noted.
[ Acting-Speaker (Mr Wayne Merton) left the chair at 6.11 p.m. The House resumed at 7.30 p.m. ]
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