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The Suburban Policing Strategy (SPS) combines community-oriented policing with new technologies and information from members of the community to create an approach especially tailored to Canberra's needs.
Under the innovative program, 22 general duties police teams, supported by Traffic Operations and Specialist Response and Security officers, are assigned responsibility for developing solutions to crime issues within particular suburbs.
Members of the Canberra community can feel reassured there is a team of officers whose attentions are focused on the issues that directly affect them.
Police maintain strong relationships with community organisations such as Neighbourhood Watch and Safety House, as well as ensuring ongoing communication with business owners and schools.
ACT Policing teams also engage the community through proactive policing patrols in their allocated suburban sectors and seek advice from locals to identify potential issues before they become more serious problems.
Members of the community will see familiar faces among the police teams patrolling their local shops and suburbs.
ACT Policing's Crime Prevention team has assigned a police officer to each of Canberra's five police stations. They are known as SPS Coordination Officers and they work closely with District Intelligence Officers to collate and analyse intelligence data and generate customised solutions to crime problems.
Suburban policing is all about the partnership between you and your police.
If you have any information about crime in your neighbourhood or you are concerned about suspicious activity, please call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000. Any information you provide may help police protect the community, and calls can be made anonymously if you prefer.
Please be aware the ACT Policing priority response system always remains in place.
As part of the priority system, the ACT Policing Operations Team identifies the urgency of a particular response, and assigns resources and teams accordingly. Any situation which is life-threatening will always take precedence over any other.
The SPS puts Canberra's police in closer contact with schools. A range of initiatives and activities have been undertaken since the inception of the strategy including:
- patrols of schools, primarily after hours
- proactive traffic targeting
- meetings with school principals to address general and specific issues of concern
- provision of advice regarding unwanted visitors causing problems.
Police also work closely with schools through the Canberra Police and Citizens Youth Club (PCYC). The PCYC uses the vehicle of sport and recreation to give all youth, especially those at risk, the opportunity to be involved in positive and safe environments that promote good and positive behaviour. This allows people to develop socially, morally and physically. More information is available at the PCYC website.
Schools are encouraged to contact police in accordance with their Providing Safe Schools Policy. The rationale of the policy is to provide a framework for ACT schools to assist in the development of procedures in addressing areas such as bullying, harassment and violence in schools.
Through the SPS, schools can advise police of any ongoing issues or problems which may require police intervention. Your SPS contact officer can be contacted via Police Operations on 131 444, or via email SPS through the AFP website.
If you would like to contact your local SPS Officer about an event or issue in your area, please fill out the email form, and a member of ACT Policing will contact you within seven days. Please note this form should not be used to report a crime, or to request police for emergency attendance. For emergency attendance call triple zero (000).