DRUGS and alcohol and the safety of property and possessions were two of the key issues identified by the Swan Hill community in this year’s police Community Sentiment Survey.
Almost 11,000 responses were received across the state for the year’s survey, which ran over five weeks from March 31 to May 7.
Participants in the survey were asked to identify which issues mattered to them the most, as well as how comfortable they felt about approaching police officers outside of an emergency.
Swan Hill police, via the Eyewatch Swan Hill page, listed the top four issues identified by the Swan Hill community this year as drugs and alcohol, safety of property and possessions, safety in public places, and road safety.
Statewide, Victoria Police said the top five safety concerns — safety in public places, safety of property and possessions, road safety, drugs and alcohol, and cybercrime and online safety — had remained consistent with last year but had changed in order.
Police said in 2023, more respondents selected cybercrime or online safety as a concern compared to in 2022.
This crime theme also replaced the family violence category, which previously ranked fifth in 2022.
The survey also asked respondents statewide to submit ideas on how to improve community safety.
The top ideas included more police presence and patrols in public places, increased night patrolling, more CCTV and security cameras, better lighting on streets, and more work to address drug-related crime.
Police said they would work with partners to come up with initiatives to address safety concerns in line with the Neighbourhood Policing Framework.
