'Your voice matters': youths play 'crucial' role in crime prevention

Canberra’s youth play a “crucial” role in crime prevention in the ACT and a new campaign aims to empower them to help make their community safer.

ACT Region Crime Stoppers (ACTRCS) has launched a youth awareness campaign titled ‘We Speak Your Language’.

The campaign focuses on educating young Canberrans about crime prevention and the importance of reporting suspicious activity.

A dedicated landing page, ReportITCBR.com.au, hosts campaign content, promotes safety messages and provides links for anonymous reporting.

“Canberra’s youth play a crucial role in crime prevention by staying informed, making responsible choices and speaking out when they witness suspicious or criminal activity,” ACTRCS chair Oliver Forrester said.

“Through the ‘We Speak Your Language’ campaign, we are providing young people with the tools to anonymously report crime and suspicious behaviour via the Crime Stoppers online reporting platform.

“By fostering trust and breaking down barriers of fear, we are encouraging them to take an active role in keeping Canberra safe.”

He said education was key, and by understanding crime prevention, young people can recognise risky situations, resist peer pressure and contribute to a safer city.

When asked what he would say to Canberra’s youths, Mr Forrester said, “Your voice matters”.

“You have the power to make a difference in your community. By looking out for one another and reporting crime, no matter how insignificant it may seem, you help create a safer place for everyone,” he said.

“Crime Stoppers wants to make crime prevention part of youth culture. The safer our community is, the better future we can build together.

“If you see something, speak up. It’s never too small to matter.”

Mr Forrester said he would tell youths that speaking out about crime was essential because every piece of information can help prevent harm, protect people and ensure justice.

“Crime prevention isn’t just about stopping crime, it’s about building stronger, more connected communities where everyone feels safe,” he said.

“Canberra’s youth are the future of this city, and by standing up against crime, you are shaping a better, safer place to live.

“Through our anonymous reporting platform, you can make a difference and remain anonymous.”

ACTRCS said while youth crime in the Territory has significantly decreased in recent years, challenges remain.

From 2011–12 to 2021-22, the youth offending rate dropped by 76 per cent, but youth crime still required focused prevention, it said.

ACT Policing Detective Acting Superintendent Sam Norman said every bit of information, no matter how small it may seem, helped police piece together an investigation.

“Crime Stoppers is a key part of our ability to gather information about crime as it happens,” he said.

“We urge all young people to do the right thing and let us know about information they have about a crime or incident.

“That piece of information might seem insignificant to you but may be very useful to us as we work to identify and charge an offender.”

To view the ACTRCS’s youth campaign landing page, visit ReportITCBR. To make an online report to Crime Stoppers, visit Crime Stoppers.