The new compliance team will be targeting irresponsible dog owners.
A new roving compliance team being formed to police Canberra’s suburbs will issue on-the-spot fines as part of a crackdown on offences such as illegal dumping, tree damage and dog control breaches.
Minister for City Services Chris Steel said that over the next two months Transport Canberra and City Services would recruit and train staff for the new six-member team, with the program ramping up to full operations in June.
This team will be in addition to the recently boosted Domestic Animal Services, whose staff has doubled to 16, as well as the four-member investigations team which deals with more complex matters.
There will also be a public engagement program to educate the community on what they should and shouldn’t be doing but there will be little leeway for irresponsible dog owners with Mr Steel saying the new team will target them consistently.
Weekly Newsletter
Every Thursday afternoon, we package up the most-read and trending RiotACT stories of the past seven days and deliver straight to your inbox..“Irresponsible dog owners, illegal dumping, tree damage, verge maintenance, moveable signs and the use of public land will be the focus of the new engagement and compliance program,” he said.
“The new compliance and engagement team will provide extra teeth for the existing licensing and compliance area, if you don’t do the right thing you are at risk of receiving an on-the-spot fine.
“You will see the compliance team out and about for an initial six month period and we will extend the program if it is successful in improving community safety and amenity.”
TCCS will also boost street sweeping by 15 per cent, increase streetlight maintenance crews by 40 per cent, and begin planting more than 400 additional new trees this autumn.
“Canberrans are going to see cleaner streets, a quicker response to streetlight outages, more trees being planted and more waste collection services. Whether you live in Dunlop or Deakin our investments in city services benefit all Canberrans,” Mr Steel said.
He said improved technology, revised crewing and a move to split-shifts meant that crews were operating street-sweepers for longer and with better results, while a new contract means streetlights were more efficient and more reliable.
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Off-lead out of control dogs are a problem in Kaleen! So sick of irresponsible owners 😑
Dan Conna this is what I was telling you about.
Any of you own dogs? Any of you have complete control of your dogs. I’m both. Quit winging!
Awesome news…unleashed dogs are a massive issue in Tuggeranong and every time I (nicely) try to inform irresponsible dog owners, I am told to…ahem…mind my own business (or worse). It will be tough for the Inspectors but needs to be done…we should feel safe walking our dogs on leash around the lake etc..
Go to yerrabi pond- dogs off their leads constantly
If a dog is trained to be off the lead and listen to commands, I have no problem with a dog being off lead. It's when the dog/owner is not trained, and nether have conttol. I hope this is what they are going to patrol and hopefully owners will start to think about how well they can control their dogs 👍
Kippax Ovals are an off leash dog area. Often dogs run towards me, off the leash, and they don't stop, even if the owner says stop to the dog. I often wonder about little kids, if I was a little kid, what might happen to the kid, with a dog running towards a kid, off leash? Are dogs more important than kids, these days?
The hoarding, dumping and animal problems have been a problem in Kaleen for years. We've been trying to resolve an ongoing issue for about 5 years with a hoarder and animal problem next door. In another part of our Suburb the problem has gone on for 25 years. Slow or no action at all has allowed the problem to continue. The offenders continually get around the system with the public paying the price. The legislation is too weak and needs to be rewritten. We've been trying to get the Minister's to engage and take action and responsibility but to date they keep fobing us off. Without stronger, clearer legislation supported by firm action, follow up and policing this is just another costly diversion not addressing the real problems.
I'm sure this will last about 4 seconds before the officers are put on to other jobs. Active policing, of anything, in ACT is a distant memory. Even the simple breath test is down 30 or 40% in number.
David Cassar this initiative is run by TCCS not ACT Policing.
Yes of course, silly me. I was thrown off by the word police in the blurb! Should read more slowly :P
David Cassar you can read???
It's about time, something was done about the dog situation.
Kimuel Jetter could we try this avenue?
What about trail bike riders who ride illegally on our footpaths?
How about illegal parking
Have they caught the alpaca killer yet?
What about the little dogs that people think are ok off leash that harrass my dog?
Yes, about time!
Meg Doepel they just need to sit on Mt T and they will fine plenty!!
Rachel Fearn Did you mean Mount Taylor Nature Reserve ?
Yes....there are always irresponsible dog owners letting their dogs off lead in a very special place that is a refuge for four types of macropods; Eastern grey kangaroos, wallaroos, swamp wallabies and red-knecked wallabies!
Meg Doepel I just really wanted to spell it out!
A two inch sign isn't really doing the trick.
Yes! Mt Taylor. Hate running into people with their dogs off lead when I'm always doing the right thing with mine on a lead. And like you said the animals that love there can't do so in peace 😠😠
Why not just be done with it and introduce stop and frisk?
Don’t give them any ideas, James Shaw! This govt would love to charge us for such a “service”.
Pity this is after the murder of that poor alpaca !!! Has that POS dog owner been caught yet?
Good. Yesterday I crossed the road to avoid 2 dogs running free (no owners in sight) only to encounter a dog with its owner, and no, the dog was not on a lead.