Justice not Jails: ‘Neighbourhood Watch-style events not where the money should be spent’

A justice advocacy group says a recent $250k funding boost to Neighbourhood Watch NT is increasing Territorians ‘sense of fear’.

The CLP government has granted Neighbourhood Watch NT an extra $250,000 in funding to help combat opportunistic crime. Picture: Pema Tamang Pakhrin

A justice advocacy group is arguing a recent boost to Neighbourhood Watch NT aimed at bringing down opportunistic crime is instead increasing a culture of “vigilantism” and “sense of fear”.

This week the Northern Territory government announced an extra $250,000 annual ongoing funding for Neighbourhood Watch NT, to expand crime prevention programs and strengthen community safety. The government said the funding will increase Neighbourhood Watch NT’s operational capacity and enable the delivery of more targeted community engagement initiatives and public awareness campaigns to drive down opportunistic crime.

Justice Not Jails member Anna Sri said expanding support for personal protection sessions was consistent with recent moves to give the public access to pepper spray.

Darwin based Justice not Jails member Anna Sri. Picture: Supplied.

“The CLP is increasing people’s sense of fear and displacing responsibility for community safety to individuals by arming them and encouraging the use of physical violence,” Ms Sri said.

“If the CLP truly cared about long-term community safety, it would stop criminalising poverty and trauma, and would urgently support Indigenous-led community safety initiatives like law and justice groups.”

Another Justice Not Jails member, Claire McNamara, said that “bringing communities together” was important to prevent crime – but said Neighbourhood Watch-style events were not where the money should be spent.

“Crime is reduced when people feel connected and when our needs are met,” she said.

“We don’t need more policing or segregation by way of vigilantism and NIMBY-ism in Neighbourhood Watch.

“People in community naturally connect and care for one another when our basic needs are met. Focusing government funding on housing and food security is the type of ‘security’ actually needed in our communities.”

Drysdale MLA Clinton Howe, Neighbourhood Watch NT CEO Veronica Larson, Chief Minister Lia Finocchiaro, NT Police Assistant Commissioner Janelle Tonkin and Personal Protection Strategies director Sharon Kimberley as CLP government has granted Neighbourhood Watch NT an extra $250,000 in funding to help combat opportunistic crime. Picture: Pema Tamang Pakhrin

Neighbourhood Watch NT said its focus was on connection and education, providing practical tools for people to “peacefully implement and build those layers of safety at home or out in the community”.

One of the not-for-profit’s partners is Personal Protection Strategies, which delivers training programs focused on personal safety, de-escalation, and situational awareness.

Director Sharon Kimberley said she had seen first hand how participants gained confidence through the workshops.

“It’s about people taking control of their own safety, and what they can do to actually have these different layers of safety into their lives – in their home, community, public transport,” Ms Kimberley said.

“It’s a very practical approach, it’s really about equipping and empowering people.”

NT Police Assistant Commissioner Janelle Tonkin said Neighbourhood Watch NT helped to fill the gaps where police presence was not possible or appropriate.

“It’s incumbent on community members to understand the types of things that they can do to keep themselves safe, and that’s where Neighbourhood Watch and some of our other partners come in and are critically important,” she said.

Ms Tonkin said police were seeing improvement in recent crime statistics for break-ins.

Originally published as Justice not Jails: ‘Neighbourhood Watch-style events not where the money should be spent’