Crime prevention, community safety and Clarendon Vale : local visions for healthy communities

This research examines the experiences of residents of Clarendon Vale, a suburb of Hobart, Tasmania. It seeks to record the narratives of residents within the local community, with an emphasis upon their perceptions of crime and safety locally, the social and environmental factors which generate crime and safety concerns and finally, their aspirations for change. This discussion considers theoretical explanations that might account for crime and safety issues locally and potential strategies that might be deployed to both reduce crime and create a safer community. Within this context, debate over 'what works', economic rationalism, neo-liberal ideologies and governance structures are observed to have important consequences, shaping which crime prevention strategies are most commonly applied and to whom, potentially neglecting other strategies which might not only address the issues of crime and safety, but some of the underlying structural, social and economic factors which contribute to their local characteristics. To this end, particular opportunities within crime prevention and community development discourse are identified as being relevant to the local community, as are some of the social, political and economic challenges inherent in undertaking crime prevention and community development.