ACT tops the nation in safety statistics. Photo: VisitCanberra/@shawstu
The ACT is leading the way in public safety, with recent statistics revealing that more than 90 per cent of Canberrans feel safe at home alone and on public transport after the sun goes down.
The capital received strong results in the 2019 Report on Government Services with the data released on Thursday morning (24 January) revealing that Canberra topped the country in many aspects of public safety.
92 per cent of Canberrans said they feel safe at home alone at night while many locals also said they feel safe on public transport at night – the equal highest result anywhere in the country.
The ACT also recorded the least road deaths per 100,000 registered vehicles across the nation but recent data revealed Canberra is the second highest in the country for traffic accident hospitalisations, with more than 20 per 100,000 registered vehicles.
ACT Road Safety Minister Shane Rattenbury said there are still plenty of ways to improve road safety.
“We continue to strive for Vision Zero, where no loss of life on our roads is acceptable,” Mr Rattenbury said. “This data shows we can’t always focus on the road toll and must talk about the impact of all crashes on our community.
“All crashes, fatalities and serious injury, are preventable. Road safety is everyone’s responsibility and when we’re on the road we must be alert and aware of the driving conditions and think about the person travelling in front, behind or next to us – they, like you, just want to get home safely.”
ACT Policing was also ranked second in the country for honesty and treating people fairly and equally. ACT Minister for Police and Emergency Services Mick Gentleman said this is reflective of the trust and value the Canberra community has placed in the forces.
“Our police force is highly representative of our community, with the equal highest percentage of female staff,” Mr Gentleman said.
“We are also one of only two states or territories in Australia to record Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander police staff rates above the representation rate of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in the population.”
ACT Fire & Rescue once again boasted the nation’s second-fastest response times to structure fires, with above-national-average results for containing building fires.
“ACT Fire & Rescue is acknowledged as one of the most multi-skilled fire and rescue services in Australia,” Mr Gentleman said. “There has been no significant increase in structure fires despite our growing population and increased housing density.
“These strong results are a credit to the professionalism of the women and men of ACT Fire & Rescue and the wider ACT Emergency Services Agency.”
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