17th International Safer Communities Conference 2008

OVERVIEW OF CONFERENCE

This was a truly International Conference with over 500 delegates from 32 countries from around the world who came together for a common theme to make the world a safer place to live and work in, this conference was hosted by the city of Christchurch New Zealand on the week of 20th—23rd October 08

Day 1, Opening Ceremony 1600hrs, This was a wonderful spectacle with a full Maori welcome from the Ngai Tahu people, Opening Guest speakers included The Mayor Bob Parker, Superintendent Dave Cliff, Hon Tim Barnet, Dr Jan White (ACC), Steven McArthur(HNZ) and Professor Lief Svanstom Chair WHO(World Health Organisation), All speakes spoke highly of the conference being held in Christchurch New Zealand and the work that is being done to promote the work of safer communities within New Zealand.

Day 2, We started this day at 08.30hrs with a session on the days keynote speakers first was the chair of the conference Dr Carolyn Coggan on working together to achieve a greater safe community, Then the Hon Annette King, minister of Justice gave the conference a Justice response to a safer community and what the government will have to do to help achieve this, Dr Alex Butchart WHO spoke on the Social Determinants of Violence and Injury, A new Challenge for Safer Communities, Dr Colin Tukutonga explained about Pacific people and Community Safety, This was followed by Assistant Commissioner Jon White New Zealand Police who talked about Alcohol related harm and the impact on our communities. ''' Workshop Presentations''', 18 sessions were held each day these were repeated at times so that we could attend others.

Tuesday 21st Session 1

1, Preventing Violence, There were 5 speakers to this session first Lynn Campbell(NZ) “placing families at the centre- magic happens” she gave some case history as to how some families and the community banded together to achieve fantastic cohesion within their communities,

2, Susan Snider (Canada) Street prooffing an interactive workshop for parents, Stranger danger, the rising awareness of crimes against children, In Ontario there are 32k children go missing annually, Most children abducted or exploited by people who have some type of familiarity with the children but who may or may not be known to the parents.

3, Garth Baker,(NZ) Giving young people the environment they deserve – Experiences of the “Promoting youth non violence projects” Three pilot sites in three very different communities are trialling different approaches they are then assessed and analyzed and the end project amongst the youth can be best put to good practice, this project is funded by the Ministry of Health.

4, Eddy McDonald, Crime Prevention Officer Greater Dandenong Senior Constable Victoria Police Australia on “One Ocean Crime and Violence Prevention Initiative”

There are over 140 languages spoken in the Greater Dandenong Police Service Area ,The back yard Rugby project was developed to attract young people to an informal competition while this completion was being played violent crime reduced dramatically , these initiatives showed that when young people were engaged in structured activities they were not involved in serious crime, The One Ocean project is being developed as a social crime and violence prevention program to engage and support the wider group, it is also to provide a bridge for “the at risk Pacific youth to access existing services.

4, Ally Yasseen (South Africa) Drug Dependency among the youth. A Community based initiative based on the impact of sports therapy on self esteem, A group of at risk youths were asked or placed into this program given a Questioneer , Drug tests times 3 over the period of the course this was aimed at kick boxing, over the time the self esteem of the participants was greatly increased and the drug dependency was significantly reduced in some cases the tests were into the negative scale.

Session 2

Reducing Crime and Violence.

1, Channa Perry (NZ) Suicide Prevention Strategy- Turning National Action into Local Action, The 2008-2012 action plan is intended primarily as a guide for government and non government agencies involved in planning, funding and delivery of suicide prevention initiatives, The main purpose of this project was to obtain local data and evidence to inform and support individuals and organisations working on suicide prevention initiatives across the region.

2, Deborah Costello (Australia) Director of Injury Control Council of Western Australia Perth, The aim was to produce an evidence based and community endorsed report that would make recommendations on building resilience and reducing risk factors for suicide, 6 communities participated in this study which was based on action research principles, “Community Road Maps” The Road Maps included profiles ,key issues and recommendations for reducing the risk of suicide.

3, Yoshihide Sorimachi (Japan) Suicide Prevention in Towada City Japan The suicide rates for both sexes in Towada ,Aomori Prefecture in 2002 was 51.8 per 100k people which was much higher than that of all Japan 23.8 per 100k The suicide rate for males was 81.3 per 100k ,whereas that for females was 24.8 per 100k after an awareness program the rates dropped in 2005 for both sexes was 45.3 per 100k Males 45.3 per 100k, Females 17.9 per 100k , Suicide prevention for elderly males also remains to be a challenge.

Wenesday 22nd Key note Speakers

Chair Dr Louis Francescutti,(Canada)

Mr Paul Kells (Canada) Safer Community Citizens Made not born.

Dr Marilyn MacPherson (NZ) The importance of collaboration , cooperation and partnership for promoting community safety ,reducing injury and crime in Maori communities.

Mr Rajesh Chhana (Singapore), Effective interventions.

Mr Gerald Vaughan, (NZ) Changing the drinking culture – A New Zealand Experience.

Paulette Moulos,(Columbia) National Safety Council

Professor Leif Svanstrom, Can the Regional Organisations make the International Safer Community Movement survive without a central Coordinator.

Session 2

Grafitti/Crime Prevention .

1, Marama Paki, (NZ) STOP Strategy overview This program received government assistance with the passing of legislation increasing the penalties for Graffiti Damage ,Carrying graffiti implements under the Summary Offences (tagging) and Graffiti Vandalism Amendment Act 2008.

2, Lucy Midolo, Community safety Team Leader Wyndham City Council Victoria Australia

Graffiti a shared responsilibity – Wyndhams experience.

After two years the strategy has resulted in improved city amenity through promt removal as well as the development of strong community partnership, Wyndham cover 542 square kilometres and since the adoption of the strategy over 71000 sq meters of graffiti has been removed, Murals have contributed to a decrease in overall graffiti.

3, Stuart Andrews(NZ) Auckland Regional Graffiti Free Project Coordinater. The Auckland Region Graffiti Free (ARGF Project.

The ARGf project is a community safety partnership programme that is coordinated on behalf of seven Territorial Local Authorities and the three P{olice Districts in the Auckland Region , This project has been operating now for 12months and has met a number of its stated deliverables, There are five clearly identified work streams ; Reional Database ,Enforcement ,Local programmes, Partnership programme and Education.

4, Dallas Cramptom, (NZ) Poriua Community Guardians, Graffiti Managment Porirua Styles or Porirua Graffiti Management ...Safe as. The importance of community engagement, ownership and participation with Graffiti Management, The Guardians are a concerned group of volunteers who wanted to and have taken back ownership of their community, The Police act as spotters for graffiti and send information back to central headquarters to be entered onto a data base then volunteers are notified where the graffiti is what colour and how big it is, Most of the volunteers have associations with the Gangs and consequently they know who the offenders are, Graffiti Offenders are given Community based sentences that they clean up graffiti under the stewardship of the Guardians.

5, Clair Milne(NZ) CCC Christchurch Central Community Liaison Team, A Strengthening Communities Approach to Addressing Graffiti Vandalism. Strengthening Communities is a journey it has a beginning a destination and is a vehicle for change, The Phillipstown Strengthening Communities Graffiti Vandalism journey began after the after the significant increase in graffiti vandalism and the threatening nature of graffiti appearing in Phillipstown and the wider community during 2005led to discussion and brainstorming of potential solutions by the working party it was recognised that a city wide approach would potentially enable existing services to work together within a strengthening communities model, at present there are a core of volunteers city wide implementing this graffiti removal strategy.

Session 3

Documenting Community Safety Efforts,

1, Annette Baker (NZ) How do You Measure a Safe Community,

The speaker is a Housing New Zealand Representative working within in the community on the Renewal Partnership programme to enhance the better utilisation of Housing NZ homes to and for the betterment of the tenants and clients who have a need for this service and making them feel a sense of pride and ownership.

2, Alcohol and other Drugs.

Andrew Galloway(NZ) Project Manager(ALAC)Supply Control. Management of Alcohol at Large Scale Public Events. ALAC will discuss the development of its working copy of the guidelines for the Management of Alcohol at large scale Public Events 2008 and lead a discussion on where to from here , including case studies and forums to promote the use of a consistent range of strategies to manage and control alcohol at large events and stadia, We are also focused on ensuring New Zealand is in a good position to model a responsible culture during the Rugby World Cup to be hosted here in 2011.

3, Molly Pardoe(NZ) Surviving Idols- Singing out against drink Driving. Working together to reduce risk of injury / Indigenous Peoples Safety is Road Safety Savvy or What. Survival Idols is an innovative opportunity to allow the young folk to strut their stuff, to create original songs and then perform through the medium of Dance, Mime. Reggae, Rock or Kapa Haka you name they do it, Many of the young people have family or friends or they know of someone in their community who have lost their lives or been injured in road crashes related to alcohol or speed, Empower them to be creative and let them sing about it , and what’s more they have fun doing it.

4, Mark Blackburn(Australia) City of Palmerston Northern Territory Australia. Cheers-Our Culture-Our Community Response. Alcohol is a part of our culture in Australia and commonly used for socialization and celebration, However alcohol is also a leading cause of illness and death in The Northern Territory, The NT continues to have the highest per capita level of consumption of alcohol in Australia ,Pure alcohol consumption in the territory was 17.3 litres per adult in 05-06 compared with the national average 10 litres per adult, Research shows that there is no easy solution to alcohol misuse and abuse.

5, Eileen Leonie Revel-Fowler(NZ) Northern District Health Board. Working together to Provide a Safe Environment Midnight Nite Flite ,Whangarei’s Public Transport Service.

The need for public transport service operating out of Whangarei’s notorious Vine St was identified in 2006 when Alcohol Accord licensees and Police voiced concern over people especially single women having to walk through the CDB to a taxi rank where they had up to a 2hour wait for a taxi , at the 11th hour when funding was being finalised for an alternative two taxi firms offered to provide vans and drivers to take patrons home for the fee of $5.00, This is a great example of the public and private sector working together in partnership with positive outcomes for all.

6, Ted Breach(NZ) Injury prevention Auckland Central, Ted Breach Safer Rohe Programme. A programme to use Maori Wardens to intervene in the early stages of Alcohol fuelled disturbances in Hamilton has achieved a 78% reduction in alcohol related incidents through early intervention –incidents attended in Hamilton, The Ready Response Team as the Maori wardens force was known followed up calls from the public as well as calls from the communications staff who were to contact them directly to investigate various incidents, the pilot now finished the ACC are looking for partners to continue funding the Wardens work.

Thursday 23rd Key Note Speakers

Professor Caroline Finch(Aus) Translating Research into Injury Prevention Practice.

Professor Lu Pai (Bangkok)The Roles of Government s at different levels in Safe Communities Development.

Dr Robert Elkman(Sweden) Are we doing the right thing? Does Safe communities Model Work.

Dr Gillian McIlwain(USA) Regulating Drinking Establishments to Reduce Violence Fitting a Model to Different Drinking Contexts.

Dr Louis Francescutti(Canada)Injuryearth.com

Session 4 Treatment Providers Making a Difference

1, Mike Ardagh(NZ) Professor of Emergency Medicine ,University of Otago, Christchurch and Specialist ,Emergency Department Christchurch Hospital The Emergency Department is Part of a Safe Community. Christchurch Hospital Emergency Department will be profiled to illustrate the functioning of a modern Emergency Department and its contribution to a safe community through managing illness and injury, surveillance, screening and education, It is the only Emergency Department in Christchurch city, seeing 72,000 patients every year, and it has a high profile in the community.

2, Anek Mungaomklang(Thailand) Bureau of Epidemiology, Department of Disease Control.Assessment of Public Health Emergency Response and Epiidemiology of Injuries and Deaths following an Aircraft Crash at Phuket International Airport Thailand 16th Sept 2007. At 2.30pm on 16th Sept 07 ,an MD -82 plane of a low cost airline with 123 passengers and 7 crew members departed from Bangkok ,The aircraft crashed while the Pilot was attempting to land, Of 123 people on aircraft 89(68%)died, most fatal cases were in the front of the aircraft, Major causes of death were high impact force including head injuries (37%) Chest/Abdomen(15%), and spine fractures (10%) ,these injuries could have been reduced had proper seat belt s fitted ,more room between seats so that one could hug their knees,

3, Michael Sheppard(AUS/NZ) Starship Hospital Auckland, A Profile of Childhood Injury: Metropolitan Brisbane, Australia 1998-2005. Recommendations in toddler drowning and mortality, fire related, baby walker related injury unintentional poisoning , Bicycle related injury and, high falls and motor vehicle occupant injury may reflect successful injury prevention initiatives, Key words Injury, Child, Emergency Department, Injury surveillance and injury Prevention,

4, Dale Hansen (Aus) Working at the Cutting Edge of the Injury Epidemic, I will be your Doctor; Working at the Cutting Edge of the Injury Epidemic,

Every year injury results in 5million deaths, 60million Hospitalizations, and 300million ED presentations, Despite these horrific numbers politicians, administrators and the community seem reluctant to acknowledge the gravity of the problem.

Session 5, Community Safety Programs

How a community safety promotion program being successful by thinking Globally, Planning Nationally, and acting locally .

1, Lu Pai(Tawain)Director Taiwanese Community Safety Promotion Center.Motor cycles are the most popular transport in Taiwan ,Almost every two persons have one ,in terms of density on the road it is 237 motor cycles per kilometre, The rate of wearing helmets increased from 5% to 60% during the period of 03to05 when the community was designated as a safe community, The rate is still increasing and reached 85% this year.

2, Carol Timmins(NZ) Safe Waitakere Injury Prevention, Waitakere Trauma Reference Network (TRN) :Ranges of Response. The Trauma Reference Network was set up at the end of 2005 by Safe Waitakere Injury Prevention to bring together the various frontline emergency services and injury prevention agencies in an effort to better coordinate communications amony agencies responding to agencies to injury related incidents.

3, Maria Isabel Guitierrez(Colombia) Instituto Cisalva Universidad del Valle Cali Colombia, Development of surveillance systems for the prevention of Domestic Violence in the department of Tolima. Objective; Development of applications and use of Methodologies for the decision making from the Analysis of statistics directed to the reduction and control of the domestic violence.

4, Joan Pearson(NZ) Community Watch Riccarton Inc Partnership Safety in the Community,

The Watch was portrayed in a very positive manner , Professionally presented and exceptionally well received, Statistics were given and many Questions were asked about the function of the Watch.

5, Juhee Hong(Korea) Center for Injury Prevention and Community Safety Promotion ,Ajou University Suwon South Korea. Injury Prevention Priority Setting Based on the National Injury Surveillance Data in Korea. Objectives; For the reduction of injury burden , injury prevention efforts are essential ,However financial ,material and human resources are far from sufficient and this situation necessitates to set priorities for effective injury prevention.

Closing Ceremony

Paul Kells, (Canada) The 7th Indicator.

Chen Wentao, (China) Intro to 5th Asian Conference in Beijing China.

Professor Leif Svanstrom (Sweden) Grandchildren and Safe Communities.

Dr Carolyn Coggan (Chair) Closing Comments and Farewell Montage.

Professor Maria Gutierrez(Colombia) Intro to 18th International Safer Communities Conference

Handing over of the WHO flag to the Hosts of the 18th International Conference

Closing of the Conference by Professor Leif Svanstrom

Poroporaki- Closing by Tangata Whenua

Summary

This was in my mind a fantastically well run Conference that was attended by over 500 Delegates representing 33 different nationalities that conversed well and joined in all the conference had to offer, The Venue was an excellent choice as it had everything within close proximity, The catering facilities and quality of food was exceptional,

In all it was a conference where knowledge was buzzing all around the convention centre ,the ideas, the contributions and the wealth of so much data was indeed a worthwhile experience. Our Watch information was taken away to Taiwan, Korea, Canada, Western Australia, Victoria, Melbourne and Fiji where model of our operation wish to be put into practice and groups set up using our data.

A conference I would not have missed and my thanks go to Community Watch Riccarton Inc for their support in financing me to attend this 17th International Safer Communities Conference.

Geoff Parfitt
23rd October 2008

See also: http://www.conference.co.nz/index.cfm/Iscc08