Protecting yourself from scams, securing your home and vehicle and reporting a crime are just a few of the topics in a new five-part podcast – available in six languages.
“Living safely” is a community education program delivered by Cumberland City Council in partnership with NSW Police. The program was funded $74,986 by the Department of Communities and Justice through their Safer Communities Fund.
Mayor Steve Christou said the content was initially delivered as face-to-face workshops pre-pandemic, but it evolved into audio so it was more widely accessible and could accommodate multiple languages.
“We want to raise awareness of crime and safety issues and provide simple and practical tips on how to minimise the risk of becoming a victim of crime – a bit of knowledge and a few small changes can make a big difference.
“Being a multicultural area with 52% of our residents born overseas, building trust among the community, council and police is vital. Our residents need to know they can trust governments and police and that help is available if they need it.”
The content was developed based on the 10 priority areas. Five of those were based on Cumberland’s top crime categories and five were issues of concern identified by the community during consultation of council’s ‘Community Safety and Crime Prevention plan 2018-2022’.
Cumberland Police Area Commander Detective Superintendent Paul Devaney said police worked closely with Cumberland City Council to advise on topics for the podcast and regularly worked to share details about incidents to prevent future crimes.
“Sharing information and tips with culturally and linguistically diverse communities, particularly those who’ve recently arrived, is a big step forward in reducing crime.
“People who are victims of crime often can’t afford to replace property or stolen money and it can have a big impact on their life and mental wellbeing.”
The content of the workshops was also used in the production of multi-lingual videos to raise community awareness and understanding of domestic and family violence, how to respond and how to best support someone who is experiencing violence. They’re available here www.cumberland.nsw.gov.au/domestic-and-family-violence-educational-videos
While the podcast was made by Cumberland City Council and NSW Police, the information is relevant across the state. It’s free to download.
The podcast is available in:
- English
- Farsi
- Arabic
- Tamil
- Cantonese
- Simplified Chinese
The topics covered are:
- Protecting yourself from scams
- Securing your home
- Securing your vehicle
- Safety out and about
- Reporting crime
Download the podcast from Google, Apple, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. You can also listen on council’s website www.cumberland.nsw.gov.au/living-safely-podcast-series
