Page 287 - Week 01 - Thursday, 14 February 2008
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I cite these figures because, in assessing community safety, I believe that it is important to have a proper understanding of the actual level of crime in this territory. Too often, anecdotal instances affect our judgement disproportionately and we are unable to rationally assess the level of safety or lack of safety that exists. I agree with some remarks that were made by Dr Foskey on this issue. She pointed out that the perception of community safety is a critical issue. The perception of community safety is critical because it informs people in the community how to conduct their affairs in order to stay safe in the community. It is therefore critical that people in the ACT have a proper understanding of the dangers that exist in our community. We do not wish people to avoid venturing out of their houses but we also do not wish to see people abandon common sense in calculating the risks of living in a society in which certain dangers are present.
Ideally, we would love to live in a territory that is free of crime and free of accidents so that all people in the territory can go about their business in safety, without restriction and without regard for crime and misfortune. But this should not lead us to ignore reality and not take precaution in our affairs. We must always be guided by rational precaution.
In forming their perceptions of community safety and seeking to take rational precautions in their affairs, people rely a great deal on the media for information about the state of community safety, particularly for issues relating to crime. This public perception is influenced a great deal by politicians in this place and by media outlets that have a great deal of interest in crime issues. It is unfortunately sometimes the case that political motives can skew commentary on these issues and can sensationalise problems that should really be the subject of more sober judgement.
I think that this has occurred to some degree in recent weeks in light of the incidents of violence that occurred in Civic. Whilst we should certainly take these problems seriously, we must not lose our heads with indiscriminate knee-jerk reactions to these problems. As I mentioned yesterday, in particular, calls from the opposition for mounted police and police dogs in Civic were poorly thought out and would not have the desired effect of reducing crime in nightspots in Civic. Last night I caught up with some people in the federal political scene who were absolutely flabbergasted that anyone would be advocating this sort of law-and-order approach in a city such as Canberra. In fact, the suggestion was a matter of derision and humour.
This is an example of the kinds of silly policies that can be announced when members of the Assembly seek to gain political capital from serious incidents of violence. If this were a serious proposal, I would have expected to see it subjected to greater analysis rather than being announced as a reaction to a news story. I am concerned that some of the fallout over recent problems may leave the people of Canberra with the impression that Canberra is a lawless and crime-ridden city, which is certainly not the case.
People need to be safe from crime—whether they are in a public area or in their homes, or when they go into Civic at night—but they also need to be able to go out and have a good time without the kind of panic that can sometimes be the unintended result of overzealous politicking. Politicians have a great deal of influence on media
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