Adelaide City Council to send safety officers out into CBD streets as part of Hutt St debate

COUNCIL “safety” officers are set to hit CBD streets to quell anti-social and criminal behaviour as Adelaide City Council looks to improve city safety.

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COUNCIL “safety” officers are set to hit CBD streets to quell anti-social and criminal behaviour as Adelaide City Council looks to improve city safety.

As the working group regarding the issues on Hutt St — the catalyst for the proposal following concerns of increased violent behaviour in the area — prepares to have its first meeting on Thursday, Adelaide councillors on Tuesday night voted for a motion by Cr Alex Antic to examine dispatching a team of “precinct safety and surveillance officers’ in the city to observe and report signs of anti-social and criminal behaviour.

The council will also look developing a policy position of city safety as part of Cr Antic’s motion, which he said would hopefully take the burden off some of the city’s ratepayers.

“This concept arose during a discussion with ratepayers in the East End where they raised concerns about the amount of times they were ringing the police,” he said.

“Essentially what we are looking for is some presence ... simply eyes on the ground to look out for any potential trouble.”

Adelaide City Council has sent a security guard to Hutt Street for the foreseeable future. Picture: Naomi Jellicoe

Cr Antic’s proposal came after escalating violence and anti-social behaviour.

After threats against a business in the area, the council sent a security guard down to the southeastern corner of the CBD to keep the peace.

In respond to a question from Cr Phillip Martin, council chief executive Mark Goldstone said the security guard would remain in the area for the time being.

“We have to ensure that the safety of business owners are in place until other measures are in place,” Mr Goldstone said.

During an earlier discussion on Adelaide’s draft business plan — in which the council will freeze the rate in the dollar for the fourth successive year, although the average rate bill will rise by 1.6 per cent — Cr Houssam Abiad said the plan needed to look more at ways to revitalise struggling precincts such as Hutt St.

The meeting also heard that the council spent $30,000 commissioning a review into its failed bid to establish a helipad along the River Torrens, which found that the council did not have the expertise to pull off.

Meanwhile, Burnside Council has voted against a proposal to raise commercial rates by 50 per cent.

Councillors also voted against seeking a report into how the extra money, about $1.1 million, could be spent on economic development.