A new plan to set priorities for community safety and crime prevention for the next five years has been endorsed by Fremantle Council.

The Community Safety and Crime Prevention Plan was developed by the City’s Community Safety Reference Group, which includes senior members of WA Police, City of Fremantle elected members and staff.

The plan is based on the input received from nearly 500 people who were engaged either online or face to face via workshops, school visits, forums or surveys during an extensive community engagement process.

It was adopted by the council this week following a three week public consultation period.

Mayor Brad Pettitt said the plan identified three key areas for the City to focus on to ensure Fremantle remained a safe and welcoming place.

“The City has a very strong and cooperative partnership with the local police, so the first priority is to ensure we maintain that close relationship with the police, other government agencies, social services and the business community,” Mayor Pettitt said.

“We also need to continue to support community development programs and crime prevention initiatives, such as promoting home security and Neighbourhood Watch.

“The final piece of the puzzle is to continue to invest in infrastructure like the CCTV network and ensure that our public spaces are well designed and well lit to deter anti-social behaviour and help make people feel safe and secure.”

The City of Fremantle is one of only three local governments in WA to have an actively monitored CCTV network, so police can be alerted to any incidents and respond quickly.

The City also has a Community Safety Team that patrols the city centre and surrounding suburbs from 7am-2am on Wednesday-Saturday, and from 7am-9pm on Sunday-Tuesday.

For more information visit the Community Safety page on the City of Fremantle website.