High-vis police campaign targeting intimidatory and antisocial behaviour in Canberra's city centre

Up to 40 extra police officers will be roaming Civic and Braddon for the next month as part of a crackdown on crime and antisocial behaviour.

The high-visibility City Safe campaign comes after local businesses raised concerns about feeling safe in the city.

ACT Policing Chief Police Officer Scott Lee said police responded every day to assaults, disturbances, drug incidents, property damage, robbery, sexual assault, theft and burglary in the city and Braddon.

“There’s been quite a significant increase there that we’re responding to, so that’s what’s really driven this operation and the allocation of some additional resources across ACT Policing,” he said.

“Everyone in the community has a right to feel safe, and to see these sorts of incidents occurring on a regular basis in one of the busiest precincts within the ACT is very disappointing.”

Abusive language, public drunkenness and other antisocial behaviour will also be targeted.

Canberra Business Chamber CEO Greg Harford confirmed the organisation had been receiving regular reports of antisocial and intimidatory behaviour, including incidents of violence.

“This has been building for some time, but appears to have been getting worse over the last few months,” he said.

“There is a real and growing issue about perceptions of safety, so it is really good news that ACT Policing is putting [this campaign] in place to try and address the issue.”

The extra resources have been pulled from across Canberra’s five stations, as well as the Road Policing, Proactive Intervention and Diversion, and Territory Targeting Team divisions.

“Hopefully people will see the police … and if there are any concerns [people] have or any incidences you observe, please feel free to talk with those officers and report those concerns that you have,” CPO Lee said.

“Four weeks will be sufficient initially, but at the end of those four weeks we’ll reassess to ascertain whether we’ve seen that change in behaviour.

“If we do need to continue past those four weeks, then we will.”

There’s also been a commitment to ensure people are also diverted to support services when needed.

Police and Crime Prevention Minister Mick Gentleman said the government would be assisting to address the non-policing aspects of the initiative.

“This includes supporting community members impacted by homelessness, mental health conditions, alcohol, substance abuse and providing referrals to relevant support services,” he said.

“We look forward to working with police across the next month to address community concerns, ensure the safety of Canberrans, and ultimately maximise the outcomes of this campaign.”

Mr Gentleman said if people needed support services, they would be referred in the first instance to OneLink.