Safer Together Toowoomba

Being safer together in Toowoomba

Safer Together Toowoomba is a Queensland Police Service (QPS) community safety initiative, co-designed with residents to meet local needs. Safer Together Toowoomba aims to empower community participation in safeguarding neighbourhoods and increase feelings of safety. The initiative provides opportunities for residents to:

• Connect with local police and receive crime news and data relating to Toowoomba.
• Participate in a Community Safety Champions pilot program.
• Access tailored crime prevention support and resources.
• Attend tailored crime prevention and community safety events and activities.
• Engage with a new online community safety awareness campaign.

The Safer Together initiative kicks off in Toowoomba throughout October 2024 to January 2025.

For more information click on the links below:

Safer Together Toowoomba

Key activities implemented as part of the Safer Together Toowoomba initiative include:

Community Engagement Activities:

Throughout November and December 2024, residents will have the opportunity to attend crime and community safety presentations hosted by Queensland Police Service staff members. This includes:

• Seniors Cyber Safety Presentation - 19/11/2024 from 11am - 12pm at Toowoomba City Library. Detectives from the QPS Financial and Cyber Crime Group will discuss all things cyber-crime related with Toowoomba's senior residents.
• Crime and Community Safety Presentation - 12/12/2024 from 5.30pm - 7:00pm at Toowoomba City Library. Register to attend. This event is an opportunity for residents to meet their local officers who will be sharing practical crime prevention tips and forensic insights into local crime trends.

Crime Prevention and Community Safety Resources:

Residents will have enhanced access to valuable crime prevention and community safety resources, including multilingual flyers to represent Toowoomba’s diverse community.

Download Resources (ZIP)

Community Safety Awareness Campaign:

A social media campaign to raise awareness of effective ways to reduce the risk of home and vehicle theft. This includes insights into how opportunistic thieves operate and some everyday ways community can help to protect their property and stay safer together.

View the Safer Together campaign videos
 

Community Safety Champions Program:

This Community Safety Champions pilot program is intended to build the capacity of local organisations and their members by empowering them with the knowledge and tools to help raise awareness and engage community in conversations around crime and community safety.

Follow myPolice Darling Downs on Facebook to receive the latest information on upcoming Safer Together Toowoomba presentations.

Crime Prevention Tips

We all have the right to feel safe and be safe. Adopting some practical crime prevention and safety strategies, such as those collated in the tips below, can help maximise your safety and assist you to respond effectively.

• Download QPS Crime Prevention Information Sheets in multiple languages.
• Read QPS Crime Prevention tips online, such as:
          - Home Security
          - Property Security
          - Vehicle Security
          - Business Security
          - Adult Safety
          - Seniors Safety
          - Young People's Safety
          - Victims of Crime Support
          - Domestic and Family Violence Resources
• Search the QPS Stolen Vehicle Portal and assist the QPS to identify stolen vehicles.
• Join the Community Camera Alliance (CCA). By registering the location of your CCTV system, it helps police to contact you if they believe your system could assist to solve a crime and convict an offender.
• Request a Mobile Police Beat to be deployed in the Darling Downs area as part of a new ‘Bring the Beat’ police engagement program.
• Get involved with Neighbourhood Watch Queensland (NHWQ) in your area. The objective of NHWQ is to encourage community members to work together, and with police, with the goal of reducing crime and improving safety.
• Volunteer with Crime Stoppers Queensland. Contact toowoomba@csql.com.au for more information.

Crime Prevention Support and Early Intervention

There are several opportunities to access QPS crime prevention and community safety support, such as:

• Connect with your District Crime Prevention Co-ordinator (DCPC) by emailing DCPC.Toowoomba@police.qld.gov.au for:
          - Tips, data, and resources relating to safety and crime prevention.
          - Engagements with community groups and community events.
          - In-home security assessments.
          - Crime prevention and community safety workshops.
          - Coffee with a Cop opportunities.
• Police Liaison Officers (PLOs) are employed by the QPS to establish and maintain a positive rapport between culturally specific communities and the QPS.
• The Policing in Schools capability is intended to support primary and secondary school aged youth within the school environment to reduce harm, offending behaviours and/or are at risk of educational disengagement. This is achieved through engagement activities, program delivery and referrals, including:
          - School Based Police Officers, and
          - School Support Officers.

There are several opportunities to access early intervention and family support programs, such as:

• PCYC Toowoomba who specialise in youth programs such as the Little n Active program, Rise Up and Be Yourself (RUBY) program, and Braking the Cycle. PCYC Queensland is a charity providing youth and community programs, services, and facilities, including outside school hours care, gym, and fitness for everyone.
• Refer a young person to Project Booyah in Toowoomba. Project Booyah is a Queensland Police youth mentoring program that utilises adventure-based learning, leadership skills, decision making/problem solving exercises, resilience training, policing strategies, and family inclusive principles to help young people aged 14-17 years make better life choices!

QPS Crime News and Statistics

There are several ways to access QPS crime news and statistics about Toowoomba and Darling Downs, including:

• Follow the myPolice Darling Downs Facebook page.
• View and subscribe to crime news at:
          - myPolice Darling Downs, and
          - myPolice Queensland.
• Access and filter crime data by offence, location, and time period at:
          - myPolice Crime Statistics, and
          - QPS Online Crime Map.
• View other Qld Government statistics, such as reported crime trends, and offender and victim data.
• You can also follow QPS social media channels:
          - Twitter
          - Facebook
          - YouTube
          - Instagram

Tips on Reporting Crime or Safety Concerns

The following information is intended to help you identify the official channels to report a crime or safety concern.

Call Triple Zero (000):

• If a crime is happening now, call Triple Zero (000), or
• If your life or property is in immediate danger, or
• If the event is time-critical, for example a fire. 

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Report something to Policelink:

• Think first: If the crime is not happening now, is not life-threatening or there is no likelihood of the suspected offenders still being in the area – report online to Policelink.
• If you cannot find a relevant form online, and it is a police matter, call Policelink on 131 444.

Policelink is a QPS channel available 24/7 and provides Queenslanders with an additional method to report a range of matters or seek policing advice.

You can read more about Policelink non-urgent reporting and enquiries.

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Report something to Crime Stoppers Queensland:

• If you want to share what you know, not who you are, you can share information anonymously with Crime Stoppers Queensland.

Crime Stoppers Queensland is a registered charity and volunteer community organisation who work closely with police, media, and the community. Crime Stoppers Queensland exists to help solve, reduce, and prevent crime by collecting information and passing on those details to police and other law enforcement agencies to help keep communities and families safe.

Community Support Organisations

Police officers use every engagement with community members and victims of crime to identify support needs and offer referrals to external service providers. Referrals can be made for a broad range of social and lifestyle issues, including those that can increase the likelihood of either becoming a victim of crime or perpetrating crime.

Additionally, for your convenience, we have also compiled a list of other organisations that provide various types of support and information.

Community Support Organisations