Adelaide Chinatown safety to be improved with lighting and cameras
Chinatown is getting more CCTV and better lighting to improve safety, after traders raised a raft of issues.
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Better lighting and more security cameras are planned for Chinatown in a bid to alleviate traders’ concerns about increasingcrime in the area.
Adelaide City Council last month conducted an audit of the area with Chinatown representatives and SA Police, to identifyhow safety could be improved.
During the audit, traders raised concerns about begging, public urination, theft and used syringes being left on the ground.
The council will now consider spending more than $160,000 on safety measures including upgrading lighting and encouragingtraders to install CCTV cameras with subsidies.
Chinatown Adelaide of SA immediate past president George Chin, who runs Adelaide Chinatown Lotteries, supported the safetyimprovements.
“If the camera is there, people do the right thing,” Mr Chin said.
He said lighting was needed in the small alleys around Chinatown, which were currently “not very safe”.
Kuo Chi Oriental Supermarket employee Tran Duong welcomed the safety upgrades.
“They (offenders) come and grab the money and they run, that happened to us a few months ago,” he said. “But we also needmore police officers walking around.”
A council report said SA Police confirmed there had been a slight increase in theft, and that there were more homeless peopleon the streets whose “presence has caused community concern”.
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The council is now considering trialling a scheme where traders can get a rebate of up to $2950 for installing CCTV cameras.
Cr Simon Hou, who called for the safety audit, was pleased with the measures being considered. He said the next step was toask Lord Mayor Sandy Verschoor to write to Police Minister Corey Wingard about increasing the police presence in the area.
“And that will close the final loophole in the area,” he said.
The Advertiser reported in September that traders had considered keeping weapons in their shops to protect themselves from increasing crime.
Chinatown has 592 businesses, 13,100 workers and 30,000 daily visitors. The council report said despite the safety proposal,the area was still considered “very safe”.
Councillors will discuss the proposals at a committee meeting tonight before voting on them next week. SA Police was contactedfor comment.
