Crime prevention training for residents

Local residents are stepping forward to learn how to keep apartment complexes safe.

A group of Residents 3000 members is learning crime prevention through environmental design and hope to soon to be able to conduct building security audits.

Group president John Dall’Amico explained that Residents 3000 and Victoria Police were working together to make inner city living more secure.

Mr Dall’Amico said members were attending a familiarisation session on April 27 conducted by crime prevention officer Leading Sen Constable Glenn McFarlane.

“We expect that these sessions will lead to some formal training and qualifications for Residents 3000 members,” Mr Dall’Amico said.

Residents 3000 has already conducted some building audits on behalf of interested owners’ corporations (OCs).

Mr Dall’Amico urged OC members to get in touch with Residents 3000 if they wanted to participate in the program. 

He can be contacted on [email protected]

Leading Sen Constable McFarlane said vertical living presented a unique set of opportunities for criminals and challenges for owners’ corporations.

“Some of these buildings have the same population of a small town,” he said.

“The management task becomes so much more important to make residents aware.”

Leading Sen Constable McFarlane said residents often became blasé and left doors unlocked in the mistaken belief that they were secure.

He said common apartment-based crimes included theft from cars, theft of bicycles and motorcycles and mail theft (which led to identity theft and deceptions).

“Victoria Police are pleased to be working with Residents 3000 on this project,” he said.

“We’ll soon have them up to a level of knowledge with which they can fulfill the role.”

Leading Sen Constable McFarlane said OCs need not think that security audits necessarily lead to major costs for building alterations.

“We are finding that most of the recommendations coming out of the work that Residents 3000 has been doing can be achieved for zero cost or low cost,” Leading Sen Constable McFarlane said.

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