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Plan It Safe: Community safety and women's fear of crime
It is important to specifically address women's fear of crime in our understanding of community safety. We need to know about and understand women's fear of crime, when and where it occurs and what causes it. Targeted strategies can then be developed to reduce women's fear of crime. If we change public places so women feel safer, then we will make these places safer for everyone. What is community safety? _________________________________________________________ Community safety activities are locally driven strategies which aim to improve safety of an area and reduce crime. Community safety recognises that all sectors of the community have a role in creating safer public places. Police retain their important role of addressing and responding to crime. However, they also work in partnership with local councils, transport authorities, residents, government and non-government agencies, and businesses. Community safety activities explore the associations between crime, safety and the urban environment. By working in partnerships, a community identifies how changes to the urban environment may reduce crime and improve safety. Each partner contributes to the safety strategy. It is important to remember that the urban environment includes everything that makes up your local community. It includes public and private places, people that live and work in an area, the services and facilities available and the way the area is governed and managed. Making changes to the urban environment includes social and community developments as well as physical changes. Community safety includes management, educational, welfare and urban planning tools. It is based on four broad principles.
Two broad approaches to community safety have been developed. Ideally, a comprehensive safety strategy will contain elements of both approaches. 1. Situational crime prevention - aims to reduce crime by reducing the opportunities for it to be committed. It is often called Crime Prevention through Environmental Design (CPTED). CPTED promotes the design of safe and user-friendly public places. CPTED has developed over the last 25 years. It is based on the idea that some crimes are committed because a situation (or environment) provides the opportunity for the crime to be committed and for it to go undetected. CPTED seeks to remove the opportunities for crime by changing the design or other aspects of the urban environment. For example, it is more difficult to steal a car from a street which is well-lit, and watched over than it is to steal one from an isolated, dark carpark. Senior Sergeant P. McCamley of the NSW Police Service describes CPTED as: 'the process of creating within our suburbs, business and other community districts, physical characteristics that suggest to both residents and potential offenders that areas are owned, cared for and not amenable to criminal activity.' [1] He believes that if the design of the space gives a clear message that someone owns, uses and cares for it, then it is unlikely that it will become the scene of a crime, and that if a crime does occur then there is every chance that the criminal will be caught. He says territoriality (or ownership), control of access, natural observation (can the space be seen clearly by others) and the frequent use of space, are important to crime prevention and community safety. The Leichhardt case study is an example of how CPTED principles can be used to help make people feel safer when they use public places. Changing the urban environment will not necessarily change the behaviour of criminals. It can however, make it more difficult for them to commit crime. 2. Developmental and community-based crime prevention - aims to change the social, economic and demographic conditions which are associated with causing crime. Strategies may include:
Fear of crime as a factor in community safety _________________________________________________________
Fear of crime is complex. It may include perceptions of risk, fear of being a victim of crime, concern about crime as a public policy issue and perhaps even anxiety about life in general. [3] Paul Grabosky from the Australian Institute of Criminolgy said: 'While the fear of crime expressed by some citizens is well-founded, other individuals are at less personal risk than they might believe. Their fear, however, is no less real.' [4] Fear of crime is not the same as actual risk of becoming a victim of crime. Fear of crime and community safety
Community safety initiatives are beginning to acknowledge that fear of crime can impact on people's lives as much as actual crime. For example, South Sydney Council has developed a Safe Design draft policy 1997 which states:
Brisbane City Council has prepared a Community Safety Program Summary document, which acknowledges fear of crime as a part of their safety agenda. Their proposal states:
How can fear of crime be addressed in community safety? Fear of crime can be reduced by crime prevention. As public places become known as being safer, the community may feel less fear. Fear of crime may also be reduced when the community can see something is being done to protect them. Knowing that something is being done helps people to feel safer. The Mary's Place case study (above) is an example of a co-ordinated public response to violence and fear. Actions such as these can help communities to heal from violence and crime, and this can help to reduce fear. Fear of crime can also be addressed by public policy. As Paul Grabosky said: ‘Governments may not be able to eliminate crime completely, but they can contribute to its reduction. They can take steps to reduce public perceptions of insecurity.' [9] Acknowledging women's fear Community safety activities can reduce fear of crime. But we need to recognise that not everyone feels the same fear. The Safe Women Project has found that even councils which are interested in community safety have often not specifically addressed the concerns of women. So while many of the strategies did make public places safer they did not necessarily make women feel safer. The Safe Women Project also noticed that sexual harassment and sexual assault were rarely discussed in community safety forums. To develop strategies which effectively address fear of crime, we need to acknowledge that different groups experience different types of fear. For example, the Brisbane City Council's Community Safety Program Summary document states: A livable city is a safe city where families and individuals, particularly women and the elderly, feel secure and protected from crime.10
Exploring women's fear of crime in public places _________________________________________________________ Women's fear of crime Many women report feeling afraid of crime in public places. They report that their greatest fear is crimes against their person - physical assault, sexual harassment and sexual assault. Women also fear robbery. For the women who spoke to the Safe Women Project, fear of crime was greatest in situations where women felt they would be powerless to do anything about an attack. It is also important to remember that while there may be similarities in women's fear of crime, there may also be some differences. Not all women are the same and they will not experience the same fear. Nor will they necessarily experience fear in the same way as one another. Women's fear of crime is different to men's. In what ways is women's fear of crime different to men's? Research suggests that men tend to be less fearful than women. If men do experience fear, it is often for different reasons. For example, women who responded to the Liverpool phone-in were most afraid of physical assault, whereas an Urban Victimisation Survey conducted in Canada found that men are most afraid of robbery. [11] In a recent study conducted across six NSW local government areas [12], it was reported that men and women had similar perceptions of the general safety of their suburb and whether their suburb had become less safe in the last ten years. However, when asked if they would walk outside alone at night, or let someone into their home to use the phone, women were far more likely to say no. This is consistent with the findings of other studies conducted in the last 15 years. For example, a Queensland Crime Victims Survey (1991), a Fear of Crime study conducted in Fairfield NSW (1991), the Canadian Urban Victimisation Survey (1982) and the Box Hill Victoria Safer Community Project (1993) all found that women were far more likely to experience fear while walking around alone at night than were men. The Queensland Crime Victims Survey 1991 also reported:
The Fairfield NSW study found that:
Why do women fear crime? A number of factors have been associated with fear of crime and can contribute to women feeling unsafe in public places. These factors include: The gendered nature of the crimes women fear The crimes which women fear - sexual harassment and sexual assault - are crimes perpetrated predominantly against women by men. Men are sometimes victims of these crimes but are very unlikely to fear them. These crimes are sexual crimes against the person and are far more horrifying to contemplate than robbery or car theft. They can induce grave fear. Experience of harassment Women who are or have been harassed often report higher levels of fear of crime, than those who have not experienced harassment. A report published by the Australian Institute of Criminology found that 'in Australia, fear of crime is strongly associated with one's having received harassing, obscene or threatening telephone calls'. [15] Verbal and sexual harassment are often experienced by women in public places. The harassment can be intimidating and cause feelings of powerlessness and fear. Past experience of physical violence If a particular group of people experience high levels of crime, then they are more likely to feel vulnerable to violence, and are likely to experience higher levels of fear. Women who experience domestic violence report higher levels of fear in public places than women who are not at risk in their homes. [16] Lack of understanding about violence against women Sometimes women do not report violence against them because they don't realise a crime has been committed. For example, many women may not realise that harassment is a crime. Or, at home, women may not know that being emotionally or physically abused is domestic violence, which is a crime. Sometimes when women report violence they receive a poor response from services. If a service provider does not understand violence against women, they will not understand that violence can take many forms. They may even deny that it happens at all. Sometimes the lack of understanding is because of a lack of information. Sometimes it is because of sexist and/or discriminatory attitudes. A lack of understanding can mean no action is taken. The Safe Women Project has found that sexual harassment and sexual assault are often not discussed in community safety forums. If violence against women is not acknowledged and discussed, then reducing the threat of this violence cannot be planned into community safety initiatives.
Women often say that when they reported sexual harassment or sexual assault to police, they received a poor and/or a judgmental response. Many women say that some police and court officials respond as if they don't understand the crime or that no crime has been committed. They sometimes don't believe the victim's story. They may also blame the incident on the victim. (For a list of reports which document these types of responses, see section 3.) As long as women know they may receive this kind of response, they are unlikely to go to the police. This may contribute to them feeling alone and unsupported in public places. It contributes to vulnerability and fear. Community knowledge of violence Members of the community sometimes know more about the actual incidence of violence in the community than what shows up in statistics. This is because an incident may be witnessed or experienced but may not be reported. Sometimes violence is not reported because the victim does not consider it serious and/or believes it is 'to be expected'. Much of the violence which occurs between pub patrons is believed to go unreported. Sometimes violence is not reported because the victim fears they will not be taken seriously or will receive a poor response from the police. However, community members often witness violence and they will talk to others about it. For example, the 1996 Women's Safety Australia report found that in the 12 months prior to the research 59% of women who were sexually assaulted spoke to a friend or neighbour and 32% spoke to a family member. Only 15% of women who were sexually assaulted contacted the police. In South Sydney, a number of gay men and lesbians have been violently attacked. Because these attacks were homophobic, that is specifically targeting gay men and lesbians, they generated higher levels of fear in the gay and lesbian community. This violence was known about and feared long before the police and South Sydney Council began to take action. Community knowledge about violence can contribute to (or explain) higher levels of fear. If a woman is attacked or raped, information about the crime and where it took place will be passed around the community very quickly.
Many Australian women are entirely familiar with violence in public open space. You know, it's not irrational at all for them to beleive that that's a possibility when they go outside. Marla Guppy - Ask Any Women video Factors in the environment of unsafe public places In section 1, women identified a number of factors in unsafe public places which they said made them feel more vulnerable to crime. For example, if the places were isolated and poorly lit, if they had lots of hiding spots, if they were not well cared for, if there was an excessive amount of alcohol consumed there, or if groups of people perceived as 'unsafe' were often hanging around etc. When these factors are not removed, improved or addressed, women continue to feel unsafe regardless of how safe an 'actual' crime profile reveals the area to be. Poor responses from local councils A poor response to women's safety concerns from their council is similar to a poor response from police. The Safe Women Project found that women felt very frustrated by the lack of response they often received from their council. It caused them to question the council's priorities. A poor response or no response from council can result in women feeling powerless. Nobody will do anything about the problems. So to keep safe, many women take their own action. In the majority of cases, this means avoiding unsafe places.
The lighting's poor. That's a big issue. You can't see at the end of the cul-de-sac. You can hear people walking around but in the night you can't see who it is. Cars have been vandalised. There's young people on motor bikes. I tried to write letters to council. Council passed it on to the Housing Department, Housing Department passed it back to council. Motor bikes tried to run people over. [18] One woman's story ‘Bad' planning Planning is a key part of building communities. Planning guides land uses, development and the design of public places. Bad planning can contribute to fear. Bad planning creates public places where women feel vulnerable. For example, dark and contained places such as an underpass, where women feel there is no way to get help. Bad planning does not acknowledge or understand women's safety concerns. Bad planning does not acknowledge that public places are different during the day than at night. Bad planning doesn't take into account the way women use public places, their needs and concerns. For example, women are often the most frequent users of public facilities - public transport, shopping centres, public toilets, parks. Yet most women won't even consider using them at night. Bad planning does not consider the future of an area and how it might change - through the course of a day or over years. Today's lack in planning vision can be tomorrow's social or safety problem. Key community assets such as public transport and carparks are often classified by women as unsafe. This is very bad planning.
Media reporting of crime Anecdotal evidence from the Safe Women Project suggests that sensational newspaper and television reporting of crimes such as sexual assault and murder made women feel more unsafe. A British study found that: 'In Britain, readers of tabloid newspapers which have more sensational crime coverage reported higher levels of fear than readers of broadsheet newspapers, whose crime coverage is less predominant and less dramatic'.[19] The ways women learn to be women Women are often portrayed as being more vulnerable to crime than men and not able to defend themselves physically. In these portrayals, if women are in danger, there is usually a hero who rescues them. While the impact of these portrayals is complex, they do play a role in the ways we understand and define ourselves. We see so few examples of women having control over their lives, and even fewer of women defending themselves, that it can be hard to imagine anyone doing it. Crime as a political issue This is a complicated factor and as yet there is no research which explores how the political climate impacts on fear of crime. Anecdotal evidence from the Safe Women Project suggests that political campaigning around law and order can sometimes lead to sensational reporting about crime which can contribute to higher levels of fear. However, the impact of political campaigning can also be positive. In each of the case studies from local councils we have used in this kit, everyone interviewed said the council got involved in safety strategies when the council was lobbied by the community. These councils were able to (with input from residents) use the opportunity to take practical steps to increase safety and reduce fear, rather than just make political capital out of the fear. Reasons to make public places safer for women _________________________________________________________ A community that is safe for women is safe for everyone Strategies which reduce women's fear of crime help women to feel safe and create environments which help to prevent crime. Safer communities enable women to have greater access to public places and more opportunity to participate in public life. It will help to create more lively, livable cities. Building strong and safe communities makes good sense. Safe public places means people feel better when they use them. This increases the amount of time people spend in public with others, rather than scuttling home and locking the door behind them. More communal interaction promotes familiarity and recognition, often improving social cohesion. With familiarity and cohesion comes a sense of ownership and responsibility. Business will be attracted to the area.
Staying home to avoid risky situations desempowers women, it denies them equality and does nothing to reduce their vulnerability to violence, so that as a strategy it just doesn't work. Fear of crime affects the quality of women's lives and what they can achieve. Liz Reedy - Safe Women Project Women's fear of crime costs the community As city centres are perceived to be dangerous, they are either deserted or given over to gangs of revellers and drunkards after dark.[20] Fear of crime costs a community socially, culturally and financially. Fear of crime damages women's lives. Many women restrict their activities to avoid unsafe places; as a result, they participate less in public life. Women who feel unsafe in public places are more likely to pass through them quickly. They are unlikely to linger or get to know other people. A community where women are fearful cannot prosper to its full potential. Public facilities and services will be under-utilised as women stay away from the streets, the bus stops or the train. Public facilities and business will suffer. A study conducted in Islington, Britain found that the main reason women were not going to the cinema, bingo, theatre or live music pubs was because of the sheer fear of going out alone or using public transport.[21] Fortress mentality When authorities do nothing about crime and fear, people feel they have to protect themselves, which unfortunately encourages people to be suspicious of each other. It often results in the construction of security fortresses. While people may be safer when inside their individual fortress, there is little change to safety in the general community. Fear levels may even increase as the presence of security guards and bars is a constant reminder of the threat of crime. The financial costs can also be significant as the Nottingham Safer Cities Project in Britain, discovered. The project commissioned a public opinion survey which found that a substantial number of respondents always or usually avoided the city centre after dark. The project calculated that this avoidence strategy meant the loss of some £12 million turnover and 442 job opportunities in Nottingham. [22] Most importantly, the community loses pride, hope and spirit. In its most extreme, public places become wastelands, occupied by a few, feared by most. A legal obligation to protect Understanding crime and crime prevention in terms of the urban environment may also have legal implications for managers of public places. If a crime can be directly linked to an aspect of a public place, then it is possible that the person responsible for that place could be held partly responsible for the crime. For example, in Wesley v. Greyhound Lines Inc (1977) in America, a woman was sexually assaulted at knife point while waiting for the bus in the women's lounge of the bus depot. The depot had a history of crime. The bus station had recently been rebuilt, but the bus company had not taken any steps to improve the safety of the depot. The court found that the standard of care which applies to public carriers also applied to the bus depot and that the bus company had been negligent in providing adequate security. The woman was awarded $150,000 of compensatory damages. In legal terms, the manager of a public place is known as the third party. If the third party has legal obligations to protect the users of its facility as the bus company did, then they must do everything they can to provide adequate security. They are obliged to do what they can to prevent a person becoming a victim of crime while they are in that place. This obligation is known as a duty of care. The more foreseeable the crime, that is, the more the crime could have been anticipated or predicted, then the greater is the duty to protect. Design is increasingly seen as a potential factor in the incidence of some crimes. This means that managers of public places have a duty to ensure they do what they can to remove the opportunities for crime. For local councils, hotel owners, transport carriers, landlords of residents and businesses, protecting themselves from possible legal action is another incentive for them to make public places safer. A word of caution Although the threat of litigation can seem a very powerful incentive for safety actions, we need to be careful wielding this tool. Legal responsibility and litigation are very complicated areas and should not be seriously approached unless you are legally trained, or you have legal allies. In addition, there is a danger that security precautions will take the form of fortress building rather than community safety activities. There is also a danger that the social and cultural causes of crime will not be addressed. Crime will continue to be treated as a law and order issue, requiring more locks and more police, rather than community development activities which eliminate violence against women. Improving safety for women is a government priority The National Strategy on Violence Against Women found:
Reducing violence against women and improving women's safety is a priority at all levels of government. The NSW Government Action Plan for Women 1996 identified that:
One of the key objectives of the Action Plan is reducing violence against women. State and federal governments work toward reducing violence and improving safety in a number of ways. These include:
Local councils are also legally bound to their community by their Council Charter. Under the charter, they must provide adequate, equitable and appropriate services and facilities to the community. Services or facilities which women are afraid to use do not accord them equal access. Safer public places promote social justice The NSW Government Action Plan for Women is committed to ensuring that:
Making public places safer for women recognises women have a right to feel safe. It promotes more equal access to resources, and provides a greater opportunity for women to participate in the community. In other words, it allows women the opportunity to participate in decisions which affect their lives. Making public places safer for women is social justice in action. Improving women's safety in public places _________________________________________________________ Reducing women's fear of crime is the first step in improving women's safety. We can do this by building on community safety activities. The following strategies are suggestions. These strategies are explored in more detail in sections 3, 4, 5 and 6. Including women's fear of crime in our community safety problem Work in community safety partnerships As with all safety problems, women's concerns require a response from different groups. For example, lighting and signage are usually the responsibility of local council. Safer public transport is the responsibility of City Rail and the Department of Transport. Reducing alcohol related violence involves the licensee and the police. Community safety partnerships are the most effective forum to address women's fear of crime. Involve local women in community safety partnerships Women can identify their safety problems and concerns. They may also want to be involved in developing solutions. To develop a strong partnership:
Amanda Hill - Ask Any Woman video Work with existing women's services Sexual assault services, domestic violence services, women's resource centres and women's community health services all work with women who have experienced violence. They have extensive knowledge about working with women to improve women's safety. They are very important community safety partners. Community safety activities may allocate resources to these services. Conduct local research Ask women to identify safe and unsafe public places. Conduct regular safety audits of the places which they identify. This will help to gather community knowledge of violence and crime. Develop a public response to crimes of sexual harassment and sexual assault We can take actions within a safety partnership which may help to reduce the incidence of sexual harassment and assault in public places. Before we can do this, however, we need to be able to discuss it in our safety forum.
Provide information about violence against women to the community. This will need to include information about violence against women as well as appropriate ways to respond. It may need to be directed to service providers such as police and council as well as members of the community. Women may also need to be informed that sexual harassment and domestic violence are crimes. Service providers could also participate in training programs which aim to improve service responses to women who have experienced violence. Provide information to the community about the reported levels of violence in your local area Provide members of the community with the facts about crime and levels of crime. If women can see a committed public response to reducing fear and making public places safer, then this knowledge can be useful in reducing fear. This needs to be done in conjunction with other safety strategies and with an acknowledgment that crime statistics are not always reliable, because so much violence goes unreported. Design out crime and fear of crime using CPTED principles Make specific improvements to problem areas For example:
Develop programs to reduce fear in problem areas or spots For example, the transport interchange or the mall, improving safety at transport stops, parks and public toilet facilities etc. Improve ongoing management and maintenance of public places An important aspect to designing out crime and fear of crime is improving management and maintenance of public places on an ongoing basis. Managing alcohol and removing graffiti and repairing vandalism are particular problems which require specific attention. Improve urban planning practices Planning practices can be improved by:
Incorporate women's safety concerns into council's planning process This may involve a commitment in the management plan and the development of safety Development Control Plans. Further reading _________________________________________________________ Australian Bureau of Statistics 1996, Women's Safety Australia Brisbane City Council July 1997, Community Safety Program - Summary of Progress to date Clements, E. 1993, Safer Box Hill Police Community Consultative Committee Safer Communities Project Report Community Safety Co-ordinator 1997, Community Safety Program - Summary of progress to date Brisbane City Council Crime Prevention Division 1997, Crime Prevention Resource Manual DRAFT NSW Attorney General's Department Crime Prevention Division 1996, Juvenile Crime in New South Wales - A review of the literature NSW Attorney General's Department, 1996 Department for Women 1996, NSW Government Action Plan for women Fear of Crime, Queensland Criminal Justice Research Paper series vol 1, no. 2, 1994 Geason, S. and Wilson, P. 1989, Designing Out Crime: Crime Prevention through Environmental Design, Australian Institute of Criminology, Canberra Grabosky, P. 1995, Fear of Crime and Fear Reduction Strategies Trends & Issues no 44, Australian Institute of Criminology Hauritz, M. and Homel, R. 1997, Brisbane City Council - Community Safety Program discussion paper Griffith University National Committee on Violence Against Women 1993, National Strategy on Violence Against Women Australian Government Publishing Service New South Wales Local Government Act 1993 Norton, R. 1991, Fear of Crime. Perceptions of the local crime problem and victimisation in a local community within Fairfield local Government area Fairfield City Council Onyx 1997 (unpublished) cited in Leonard, R. 'A Case Study in Public Safety and Social Capital: the Safe Women's Project' in Proceedings at the Social Capital Conference. Dept of Social Policy, University of Queensland, Brisbane Safe City Committee of the City of Toronto and City of Toronto Planning and Development Department 1992, A Working Guide for Planning and Designing Safer Urban Environments Safe Women Project 1994, Ask Any Woman: A report of a phone-in on women and safety in Liverpool local government area South Sydney Council 1997, Safer Design Draft Policy Trench, S., Taner, O.C.T. & Tiesdell, S. 1992, 'Safer Cities for women: Perceived risks and planning measures' Town Planning Review vol 63, no. 3 Wekerle, G. & Whitzman, C. 1995, Safe Cities - Guidelines for planning, design and management. Worpole, K. Towns for people Open University Press Endnotes _________________________________________________________
__________________________________ | Introduction | Women Talking about Safety In Public Places | Community Safety and Women's Fear Of Crime | Partners In Community Safety | A Community Safety Forum | From Wasteland To Heartland | Raising The Issue Of Women's Safety In Your Community | Contacts | |
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