Community Safety Report Revealed by RACV and Neighbourhood Watch
In a groundbreaking analysis, the Victorian Community Safety Perception Report, a collaboration between Neighbourhood Watch Victoria and RACV, sheds light on the factors influencing Victorians' perceptions of home safety. The report, which analysed 8,021 responses collected between 2021 and 2024, serves as a baseline for future community safety initiatives and policy development.
The study found that regional variation plays a significant role in safety feelings, with Western Regional areas consistently reporting the highest safety ratings (around 7.87 out of 10), while Western Metropolitan areas have the lowest ratings (around 7.29). However, it's important to note that all regions still rate above 7, indicating generally positive perceptions statewide.
Another key finding is the active adoption of home security measures, such as alarms and CCTV, which is rising, especially in metropolitan areas like Western Metro, where usage increased from 53% in 2021 to 63% in 2024. This increase in security technology adoption correlates with feeling safer.
Individuals who use five or more preventative measures tend to rate their home safety highly (between 8 and 10), demonstrating a link between taking multiple precautions and perceived safety. Knowing neighbours also emerged as a key factor in feeling safe, enhancing trust and community cohesion.
Interestingly, rural areas maintain higher safety confidence with less technological reliance compared to metro regions, reflected in some rural ratings exceeding 9 out of 10.
Researchers acknowledged limitations in the data, particularly lower response rates in certain Local Government Areas and potential barriers to participation among culturally and linguistically diverse communities. As such, the study identifies the relationship between population density and crime perceptions, socioeconomic factors, and community engagement as areas for future research.
The "How Safe Is My House" quiz, available at How Safe Is My Place, continues to be available to Victorian residents, contributing to ongoing research and providing personalized safety recommendations. The full Victorian Community Safety Perception Report is available at Neighbourhood Watch Victoria.
For all media requests, contact the Media and Communications team. The collaboration between Neighbourhood Watch Victoria and RACV has been strengthening community safety across Victoria for over five years.
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