A safety audit looks at what makes a place safe or unsafe and how to improve safety in that place. It is a practical tool used for collecting information about the areas of the local community that make people feel unsafe. A safety audit also helps council with community safety planning, encouraging suggestions from community members about changes that would make them feel safer.

Council may decide to undertake community safety audits as part of a regular community safety program; on an as needs basis (e.g. in response to a specific complaint or incident); or in partnership with state agency initiatives.

Undertaking a community safety audit

Safety audits should be carried out by more than one person - this allows for a variety of perspectives (e.g. young people, women, people with a disability) and skills (e.g. technical or maintenance), and also provides safety in numbers, particularly if auditing a place known to be unsafe. If possible the safety audit team should include a councillor, one or more council officers and one or more members of the community (for example, the community justice group or a youth worker). You might also want to involve local police and, depending on where the audit is being done, representatives of the Parent Citizens Youth Club, school, hospital or clinic and local businesses such as the retail store.

Generally it is best if each audit is of a well-defined area rather than just ‘the community’. For example, separate audits could be carried out for:

• the town centre
• the recreation precinct
• the school area
• particular suburbs

It is a good idea to visit the place at least twice - once in the day and once at night. However if it is only possible to do the audit once, it should be after dark as this is generally when people are most likely to feel unsafe and it is also the best time to check if there is a lighting problem — good lighting is one of the most important safety factors.

Sometimes safety audits are carried out by volunteer groups who are concerned about particular safety issues and want to take action themselves or to lobby the council, or other agencies such as police, to take action to improve safety in the area.

However where council is undertaking a safety audit it is good practice to establish clear policies, procedures and guidelines, including a standard checklist and a template ( 195 KB) for reporting back to council, so that the audit processes and results are as reliable and consistent as possible.

See an example community safety audit ( 735 KB).

Issues to be considered during a community safety audit

The things to look for when carrying out a safety audit include:
1. General impression

• what is your reaction to the place?
• do you feel safe or unsafe in this area? Why?

2. Lighting

• is the lighting good enough to let you recognise a face at a distance of 15 metres?
• can you see into the back seat of a parked car?
• how even is the lighting? Are there pools of light and darkness?
• are any lights not working? If so, how many?
• if lights are out, is it due to equipment failure or damage (e.g. vandalism)?
• do you think that street lighting in the area is good enough?
• are there any bushes and trees that interfere with street lighting?

3. Sightlines

• is it difficult to see what’s ahead – sharp corners, walls, hills, fences or bushes?
• as you walk through the public space, are there places someone could be hiding?
• would you be able to see better if transparent materials were used instead of solid materials, for example - lattice or perspex for bus shelters instead of solid wood?
• if there are surveillance cameras, are they located in the best places?

4. Isolation from being seen or heard

• are other people likely to be around during the day or late at night?
• how close is the nearest public telephone if you needed to call for help?
• is it near enough?
• how often is the area patrolled by Council staff or police?

5. Nearby land uses

• is there graffiti, litter or vandalism making it look like nobody owns or looks after the area?
• does the land seem owned and cared for, or is it an abandoned place where unlawful activity might not be noticed by anyone?
• is there more than one way out of an area for a person who feels unsafe?
• are there corners, doorways or bushes where someone could hide and wait?

6. Overall design

• public toilets - are they isolated?
• how easy is it for someone to hide in the toilets?
• could the place look better or be improved so that more people are likely to go there - for example, landscaping, fences or better design?

7. Maintenance

• look for things such as broken lighting, litter, broken windows, damage to public telephones and graffiti

8. Improvements

• what improvements would you like to see?

Implementing safety audit reports

Safety audit reports can provide important information to assist a council in its community safety planning and implementation and its ongoing infrastructure (e.g. lighting, roads, parks and gardens) maintenance program.

Audit reports should be delivered to the council’s community safety or safe public space committee for consideration and action as necessary.