Safety and local government--partnerships and collaboration: how to find all those intersections and actually do something about it.

• Author: Coggan, Carolyn
• Position: Case study

Abstract

Policies to address safety are increasingly becoming an important aspect of what territorial local authorities (TLAs) in New Zealand need to consider when developing their Long-Term Council Community Plans to address their obligations under the Local Government Act 2002. Consequently, to provide a framework for their activities many TLAs have looked to the six criteria necessary to achieve the status of a Safe Community of the World Health Organisation (WHO) international network. Safe Communities is a WHO concept that recognises safety as a universal concern and a responsibility for all. Wellington City, the capital city of New Zealand, was one TLA that worked to address the six criteria and as a result was accredited as a WHO Safe Community, and part of the International Safe Community Network on 14 June 2006. This article provides a case study of the rationale and processes used by the Wellington City Council in its journey towards achieving Safe Community status, and the partnerships and collaborations that were part of this process. It demonstrates that to improve community safety it is necessary to develop policies that encourage successful partnerships and networks between individuals, organisations and other providers.

INTRODUCTION

In the past those involved in policy development in injury prevention, crime prevention, alcohol misuse, road safety, water safety and violence prevention worked within their own silos with very little recognition of the links between them or consideration of how these issues could be addressed collaboratively (Israel et al. 1998, McLeroy et al. 2003, Nilson 2005). This changed considerably with the advent of the New Zealand Injury Prevention Strategy (Dyson 2003) and the Local Government Act 2002, which required TLAs to develop Long-Term Council Community Plans. (2)

Section 3 of the Local Government Act 2002 reflects a more modern style of legislative drafting by providing a clear purpose for the Act: to provide for democratic and effective local government that recognises the diversity of New Zealand communities. To this end, the Act:

* states the purpose of local government

* provides a framework and powers for local authorities to decide which activities they undertake and how they will undertake them

* promotes the accountability of local authorities to their communities

* provides for local authorities to play a broad role in promoting the social, economic, environmental and cultural wellbeing of their communities, taking a sustainable development approach.

The Act sets out to achieve this overall purpose by giving local authorities a new mission to play a broad role in promoting the social, economic, environmental, and cultural wellbeing of their communities, taking a sustainable development approach. (3)

Community safety could be defined as something of a dynamic state in which all those issues that lead to harm or fear of harm, or crime are prevented or controlled (www.socialreport.msd.govt.nz/documents/sr06-safety.pdf). This does seem to provide the opportunity for local government to be involved in community safety. As a part of a broad approach to community safety, public confidence in the safety of the city's streets and suburbs is a top priority for most cities and towns. In addition to initiatives designed to promote safety in the city, safety must also be enhanced through initiatives and programmes that act to support a city where people participate in their communities and activities. Safety is also enhanced when people feel proud of their community and have a strong sense of belonging; in other words, it involves more than just preventing crime and disorder (Rahim 2005). Councils have also recognised that to be an attractive destination for immigrants and visitors, and offer a high quality of life to residents, it is critical that a reputation of being a safe city is maintained or enhanced.

To address community safety there is a need to maintain a high level of preparedness for natural and other hazards, develop plans relating to road safety and safety design principles, and have in place a wide range of injury prevention strategies and responses to deal with alcohol-related harm. All of these have some relevance to TLAs, especially in light of the responsibility they have under the Local Government Act 2002 Section 3. This has seen TLAs, in developing their Long-Term Council Community Plans, adopt a leadership role but also reach out and work closely with their communities to achieve their goals. For many of these TLAs this has also meant taking an interest in the WHO Safe Communities model. Safe Communities is a WHO concept, which recognises safety as a universal concern and a responsibility for all (Nilson 2005). (4)

Internationally, the WHO Safe Community designation process has proven to be a sustainable way to prevent human suffering and reduce the social and economic costs of injury (Spinks et al. 2005). Injuries can take lives and ruin futures, and they are the leading cause of death for those aged 1 to 34 years in New Zealand. A report released on 28 April 2006 stated that the economic and social costs of workplace-related injuries and disease in New Zealand could total $20.9 billion a year--up to four times higher than previous estimates. This report by the National Occupational Health and Safety Advisory Committee, found that only 2% of these costs were "compensated" by the Accident Compensation Corporation (ACC), the Ministry of Social Development and other such agencies. The report found that the vast majority of the costs are being borne by, and are affecting, employers, employees and society in general. The report challenged New Zealand to urgently address this "huge and unacceptable burden". (5)

In general, being designated as a WHO Safe Community improves the quality of life for individuals, strengthens and supports community cohesion through increased participation in injury prevention and community safety initiatives, and provides a vehicle for the effective involvement of TLAs, businesses, organisations, schools, sport and recreation groups, families and individuals to improve their own safety and the safety of others. Experience has shown that in a successful community safety programme, there is only a short delay between the inception of prevention and control measures and decreases in injury rates. This rapid...