Gold Coast City Council Safe City Survey to ask residents if Glitter Strip is a safe place to live
Gold Coast residents for the first time will be asked if they believe the Glitter Strip is a safe place to live as part of a new survey being rolled out. HAVE YOUR SAY >>>
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GOLD Coast residents for the first time will be asked by council if they believe the Glitter Strip is a safe place to live.
The Bulletin can reveal the council will roll out a Safe City Survey to obtain feedback on “what Gold Coasters perceive about safety in their neighbourhoods and the wider city”.
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The council on Thursday is also expected to announce the results of a review of its lifesaving services which shows the lifeguards provide vital protection for the city’s beaches.
Results from the lifesaving review mean the city will not tender out its beach safety services to surf lifesaving, which has occurred on the Sunshine Coast.
Mayor Tom Tate told the Bulletin: “We know we are a safe city but at the same time, we have our challenges.
“When we conduct our annual budget surveys, safety and transport rank high so far as community interest.
“This is a chance for the city to ask residents for more specific detail so we can shape future decisions about what people want.”
The Mayor said the response from residents would help shape future community safety programs.
The council has backed a strong CCTV presence on the tourist strip with more than 700 cameras monitoring 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
A report to council in February revealed the locations of 103 camera in Surfers Paradise with most of them on the foreshore and around the Orchid Avenue entertainment strip.
The research included the revelation that Surfers Paradise is no worse for police incidents than Brisbane’s entertainment strip at Fortitude Valley.
But the report warned council that the precinct suffers from a negative image that could be made worse by millions of tourists posting on social media.
Residents can go to gchaveyoursay.com.au/gcsafety. The survey closes on May 17.
PREVIOUSLY
BIG brother is cleaning up Surfers Paradise with new mapping showing more than 100 CCTV cameras located at crime hot spots on the beach and around nightclubs.
A report to council reveals the locations of 103 cameras with most of them on the foreshore and along the Orchid Avenue entertainment strip.
The research includes the revelation that Surfers Paradise is no worse for police incidents than Brisbane’s entertainment strip at Fortitude Valley.
But the report warns council that the precinct suffers from a negative image that could be made worse by the millions of tourists posting on social media.
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“Locally, it is seen as an unsafe precinct that has high crime levels and issues with intoxicated and aggressive young adults,” the report says.
“This is reinforced by a large number of negative media reports about crime and declining economic prospects, the noticeably high number of commercial vacancies and a large number of rundown buildings adding to the negative perceptions of the precinct.
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“Conversely intrastate, interstate and international visitors have a very different view of Surfers Paradise which is one with an exciting and active night life with a world-class beach and the perfect gateway to the Gold Coast theme parks.”
The report advised council to change public perception by:
● Having locally focused marketing and advertising “highlighting the facts” and educating locals of the realities of the precinct.
● Increasing the number of positive, family-orientated precinct events and positive media stories.
● Encouraging local businesses to promote the precinct and increase their social media use.
Surfers Paradise featured in millions of posts on Instagram but council needed to be “careful and make sure they have a good strategy to ensure they get the most out of it”.
The report says the crime statistics for the holiday and nightclub precinct across the last 10 years show a steady decrease in incident numbers.
“When compared to other similar entertainment precincts, Surfers Paradise is seen to be equivalent and not outstanding when it comes to good behaviour orders, assaults and drug offences.”
Fortitude Valley had recorded more drug and good order offences than Surfers Paradise, but all locations had recorded a drop-off in incidents since COVID-19.
The report is part of future planning advice to council, in which consultants concluded the tourist mecca, without a hotel-casino, could not and should not chase the five-star tourism market.
Area councillor Darren Taylor believed Surfers Paradise must cater for locals by providing “active family-friendly areas” on the riverfront and beachfront.
He has told the Bulletin his ultimate goal was to have a “vibrant day economy based around families that evolves into a night economy”.
The council was faced with a challenge in filling empty shopfronts with at least 30 per cent of space available in the precinct, he admitted.
“This is complex as it can be a range of reasons including leasing costs. We can’t control leasing costs,” he said.
“What I’d encourage is building owners to improve their vacant premises by creating opportunities to improve the visual look and feel of vacant shops by dressing up with creative window ideas or applying Surfers Paradise-themed decals to window fronts. I’m keen to work with local businesses to see this become a reality.”
Mayor Tom Tate said the council was supporting police by increasing the CCTV network from around 100 cameras in 2009 to more than 500 cameras in 2021.
Other measures included improved street lighting, hosting regular Mayoral Safer Suburbs Forums and education to help seniors be more secure in their homes.
Originally published as Gold Coast City Council Safe City Survey to ask residents if Glitter Strip is a safe place to live
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