This Action Area aims to build a strong evidence-base of best practice approaches to crime prevention.

Measuring our impact – Action Area 3

To measure progress in Action Area 3, we will track indicators such as  access to crime prevention resources and support, crime prevention initiatives which demonstrate the use of evidence, evaluation principles embedded in initiatives, and the sharing of resources, tools and findings with communities.

We need to understand crime and its causes to build safer and more connected communities.

Under this Strategy, we will build and share a strong evidence base to support communities and position Victoria as a leader in crime prevention by

  • delivering action research projects that will test crime prevention solutions to inform policy and program design
  • developing partnerships with international and local research institutions to ensure access to current evidence and international best practice
  • working alongside communities implementing initiatives to build evidence of their effectiveness.

Communities will have access to tools, resources and practical information to help build an understanding of what is working at the local level and to support the implementation and evaluation of their own solutions.

A shape of a speech bubble formed by many people

Perceptions of Safety research & survey tool

We commissioned research to help communities understand crime and safety issues in their local context.

The Social Cohesion and Pro-Social Responses to Perceptions of Crime: Victorian Report is the result of a partnership between the Victorian Government and the University of Sydney, Monash University and the London School of Economics.

The project interviewed almost 3000 Victorians across 70 communities and found the most effective way to reduce worry about crime is through pro-social activities that encourage community cohesion and connectedness.

The survey tool used in the research is available for local councils and organisations to use to measure perceptions of crime and safety.

Find out more about this research and access the survey tool.

A clear light globe

Partnership with New York University

To position Victoria as a leader in crime prevention, we are looking to innovative practice locally, nationally and internationally. This will allow us to build knowledge, evidence and capability to support communities in their crime prevention efforts.

For example, the Department of Justice and Community Safety has partnered with New York University to obtain advice and support on how innovative approaches to community development could apply in Victoria.

This work has resulted in tools, resources and recommendations to support effective development and evaluation of local initiatives based on the ‘Neighbourhood Stat’ and ‘BetaGov’ models.

Find out more about our work with New York University, including recorded webinars and resources.

In the Strategy