MINUTES OF THE SUTHERLAND SHIRE COMMUNITY SAFETY PRECINCT
COMMITTEE MIRANDA AND SUTHERLAND LOCAL AREA COMMANDS
10.00am Wednesday 4 March 2015
Held at: Sutherland Police Station, 113-121 Flora St, Sutherland
ATTENDEES:
Superintendent Michael O’Toole, Miranda Local Area Command
Superintendent Julian Griffiths, Sutherland Local Area Command
Inspector Terry O’Neill, Sutherland Local Area Command
Inspector Shane Woolbank, Miranda Local Area Command
Inspector Rob Dankst, Police Transport Command
Sergeant Matt Layton, Police Transport Command
Sergeant Ben Kemp, Police Transport Command
Senior Constable Dave Hayes, Sutherland Local Area Command
Rebecca Maher (representing the Hon. Scott Morrison MP for Cook)
Michelle Lawson (representing Mark Speakman MP for Cronulla)
Cr Tracy Cook, Sutherland Shire Council
Andrew Harrison, Sutherland Liquor Accord
Kellie Checkley, Project Youth
Tevita Mahe, Westfield Miranda
Sherie Skaines, Sutherland Shire Council
APOLOGIES:
Mark Speakman MP, Member for Cronulla
Melanie Gibbons MP, Member for Menai
Barry Collier MP, Member for Miranda
Cr Kent Johns, Mayor, Sutherland Shire Council
Cr Tom Croucher, Deputy Mayor, Sutherland Shire Council
Cr Hassan Awada, Sutherland Shire Council
Cr Carol Provan, Sutherland Shire Council
Cr Scott Williams, Sutherland Shire Council
Cr Phil Blight, Sutherland Shire Council
Annette Tasker, Chamber of Commerce, Cronulla
Paul Jones, ANSTO
Kerry-Ann Barry, Sutherland Shire Council
CHAIRPERSON:
Superintendent Michael O’Toole
OPENING OF MEETING AND WELCOME
Superintendent Michael O’Toole opened the meeting and welcomed all persons
present.
CONFIRMATION OF MINUTES OF PREVIOUS MEETING
The minutes of the previous meeting held on 10 December 2014 were confirmed as
a correct record.
Moved: Superintendent Michael O’Toole
2nd: Superintendent Julian Griffiths
BUSINESS ARISING FROM THE PREVIOUS MINUTES:
Nil tabled.
REPORTS FROM THE FOLLOWING:
Sutherland Local Area Command – Superintendent Julian Griffiths
An overview of crime was presented in the following categories:
Assault (Alcohol and non DV) - Decrease
Break & Enter (dwelling) – Decrease
Malicious Damage – Decrease
Injury and Fatal crashes – Three recent fatal collisions currently being investigated.
Robbery – Decrease
Stolen Vehicle – Decrease
Steal from Motor Vehicle – Decrease
Crime Hotspots
Assault – Sutherland; Gymea; Jannali; Engadine
B,E&S – Sutherland; Gymea; Illawong
Malicious Damage – Sutherland; Engadine; Gymea
Robbery – Gymea
Stealing – Sutherland; Engadine; Menai
Stolen Vehicle/Vessel – Sutherland; Menai; Bundeena
Operations
-
Drug & Alcohol Related Crime
Operation UNITE (Australia/New Zealand wide)
Various traffic related
Drug dog
Australia Day (Operation Float)
Retail theft
Miranda Local Area Command – Superintendent Michael O’Toole
Assault (Alcohol & non DV) – Decreased
Assault (non DV) - Increase
Break & Enter (Dwelling) – Decreased
Malicious Damage – Increase
Robbery – Decreased
Stolen Vehicle – Decreased
Steal from Motor Vehicle – Decreased
Crime hotspots
Assault – Cronulla; Caringbah; Miranda
B,E&S – Caringbah; Cronulla; Miranda
Malicious Damage – Caringbah; Cronulla; Miranda
Robbery – Caringbah; Miranda; Kurnell/Sylvania
Stealing – Miranda; Cronulla; Caringbah
Stolen Vehicle – Cronulla; Caringbah; Miranda
Operations
-
Property theft operations
Drug & Alcohol Related Crime
Operation UNITE (Australia/New Zealand wide)
Various traffic related
Drug dog
Australia Day (Operation Float)
Retail theft
Joint Anti-Truancy operations
Police Transport Command – Inspector Rob Danks
-
PTC staff has increased to 600.
Increase of panel kicking and youth leaning from carriage taking photographs.
Operations targeting this behaviour is ongoing.
Most crime categories have decreased.
Officers being proactive by attending schools, letterbox drops, leaflets
Statistics can be disproportionate relating to the suburb the incident occurs,
as train staff report predominately at Bondi Junction and Waterfall/Cronulla
suburbs.
Sutherland Shire Council Crime Prevention Team – Sherie Skaines
Project update
NSW Crime Prevention Grant – Both the ‘Arriving Home Safely’ peer education initiative
promoting harm minimisation messages to patrons on licensed venues, and street based
youth outreach targeting young people in public places whom are intoxicated or at risk have
commenced. Peer educators are reporting that the information they are providing to patrons
is being positively received.
Shire Drink Think – Students will be participating over the next few months.
Woronora Heights youth activity area – Construction on the youth activity area commence
February 2015. Council will continue to work with the police and residents to alleviate their
concerns about the level of anti social behaviour, graffiti and vandalism offences in the car
park and field areas at Woronora Heights. Council is installing a boom gate that will be
locked at night and unlocked in the morning; reducing access to the car park at night.
Community Volunteer Graffiti Removal Squads – Council continues to support 2
community organisations, Engadine Community Services and 3Bridges Community (formally
Menai Community Services), to provide Volunteer Graffiti Removal squads in those areas.
Council will be working towards expanding the volunteer graffiti removal project into other
suburbs in 2015.
Safe Taxi Rank at Gymea – Council was awarded $200,000 from the Commonwealth
Attorney General’s Department to transform the taxi rank at North Street, Gymea to a safe
taxi rank. The accessible safe taxi shelter will be completed in early 2015.
Secure Taxi rank at Miranda – Council in partnership with Miranda Liquor Accord has
submitted a grant application for a secure taxi rank on the Kingsway at Miranda. The
application is being considered by Transport NSW.
Crime and anti-social behaviour hot spot locations
The car park and playing field, Woronora Heights – Council and Sutherland Local Area
Command continue to meet with residents and are working towards implementing strategies
to reduce anti-social behaviour in this area at night.
Feed back on 2015 Australia Day long weekend
1. Council coordinated events: Australia Day events will be held at Blaxland Oval, Illawong
and Anzac Oval, Engadine as well as at Cronulla Beach.
Cronulla Beaches events: A Board Riders event will be held on Saturday, 23rd and Sunday,
24th January 2015, and North Cronulla Iron Person AT Fun run at Wanda Beach on Monday,
25th January 2015.
Project Youth – Kellie Checkley
Background
Project Youth co-ordinates a number of crime prevention programs with the aim of engaging
with young people to assist them to make meaningful, law abiding decisions, regarding their
behaviour and future.
We also aim to assist them to re-connect with their communities through participation in such
things as sporting clubs, youth events, activism, education and employment.
Project Youth does this through a number of programs including, but not limited to;
-
Street based Outreach
-
Mentoring young people at risk
-
Sutherland Children’s Court Support Program
-
Events
-
Work and Development Orders
Outreach
From December – February 2015, Outreach workers have gathered the following statistics;
Engagement has occurred with:
318 Males
TOTAL - 498
180 Females
64% of young people were aged 15 – 16 years
18% of young people were aged 17 – 18 years
Locations attended:
Miranda – 8 occasions
Cronulla – 6 occasions
Menai – 1 occasion
1 event was held in December at Gunnamatta with approx 200 young people attending. All
were very well behaved and a good day was had by all.
The type of assistance provided to young people includes:
48% were spoken to about safety (including intoxication, fighting, safe passage home)
22% young people were spoken to about Alcohol and Other Drug issues
11 young people were provided with transport home
Resources Provided:
98 Health packs were distributed (condoms, lube and safe sex information)
271 bottles of water were distributed
17 pieces of promotional material was distributed (i.e, news about events, happenings at
drop in centres)
Other Outreach

Australia Day was a very successful day for us. No young person (to our knowledge)
was arrested on the day however a few were given move along orders.
Arriving Home Safely Project
Through a grant received by Sutherland Shire Council from the NSW Attorney’s Generals
office, Project Youth has now commence Saturday night outreach, until May 2015.
Arriving Home Safely will provide 4 peer educators to work within the pubs and clubs in
Cronulla and Sutherland speaking to young people aged 18 – 24 about:
-
New one punch laws
How to get home safely after a night out
Promoting the Council’s free late night bus service
The project also provides for 2 additional street based youth workers to work on a Saturday
night.
The project is proving to be a great success with young people being engaged on the streets
and conversations happening in the pubs and clubs with younger patrons. Project Youth
staff working on the project are providing extremely positive feedback about shifts and are
really motivated to try and make a difference.
From December – February 2015 the following number of people have been engaged:
-
Male 64
Female 40
- Total 104
50% of young people engaged are aged 15 – 16
35% of young people engaged are aged 17 – 18
15% of young people engaged are aged 12 – 14
100% of young people have been spoken to regarding safety
41% of young people have spoken with staff regarding Alcohol and Other drug issues
21 health packs have been distributed
26 young people have been provided with transport home.
Stats for peer education in pubs unavailable for this report.
Mentoring (INSPIRE)
This program works with young people who are at risk of entering or having already entered
the Juvenile Justice system by matching them with suitable community volunteer mentors.
Mentors and young people meet once per week and participate in activities such as resume
writing, transport and encouragement to participate in their community. The mentors also
provide the young person someone to talk to outside of the family network.
The program continues to be unfunded and has been since July 2012.
Currently the INSPIRE program achievements for February 2015 are as follows;
9 matches are currently active
2 referrals are currently waiting matching
4 referrals have been received
Another recruitment of mentors is being considered as the number of volunteers is not
keeping up with the referrals we are receiving.
Court Support – Sutherland Children’s Court
Project Youth has been providing support to young people attending Sutherland Children’s
Court for 20 years. Project Youth’s role is to ensure young people have legal representation,
understand the court process, clarify what happened in court, connect young people and
their families to appropriate services and assist in behaviour management of young people
in attendance.
Statistics for the December – February 2015 period show the following:
-
Young people attending from the Sutherland Shire:
o Males 38
o Females 7
51% of young people appearing at Sutherland Children’s court were Under 16 yo.
Work and Development Orders
No information available at time of writing report.
Boys Group (Kickstart)
Kickstart has 18 young males participating this term. The boys were chosen by their school’s
as being identified at early leavers. This year we are also aiming at Year 8 – 9 students.
This program see’s the boys being picked up from home at 6am to participate in a fitness
program run at Shark Park (Remondis Stadium). Once the fitness component is finished the
boys sit down to a nutritional breakfast, an education session and are then dropped off at
school.
This program also has 20 men volunteer their time to be mentors during the program to the
boys participating.
NSW Police staff and Project Youth have also worked hard at securing weekly donations of
food for the boys breakfast. Some of those who are generously donating money or product
include Muffin Break, Bakers Delight and other cafes from within Westfields.
GENERAL BUSINESS
Tevita Mahe – Welcomed and introduced himself to work closely with Miranda LAC
and Sutherland Shire Council in relation to crime and traffic related issues.
Rebecca Maher – ANZAC Day celebrations were taking place in Dunningham Park,
Cronulla between 9am and 2pm. Expecting large crowds due to entertainment
organised. A large television would be present with live feeds of ceremonies. Funded
combined between the Federal Government and Sutherland Shire Council.
ACTION: Sherie Skaines to follow up and inform Miranda LAC of further details.
Supt Griffiths – Woronora Cemetery have established a new Police Memorial Wall
within their grounds for officers who have lost their lives whilst on duty within
Sutherland and St George Shires and/or those who have been laid to rest within the
grounds. Expecting the Police Commissioner to attend and other dignitaries.
Opening and unveiling of the wall will be on 9 April 2015.
Cr Tracy Cook – Cr Cook introduced herself to the meeting. She is in the committee
currently reviewing the method of development applications are handled. She noted
that due to recent rezoning, Police may receive an increase of applications.
MEETING CLOSED
The meeting closed at 11.15 am.
NEXT MEETING
Next meeting: June 2015 (date to be advised).