Neighbourhood Watch SA2017 ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING & AWARDS

NeighbourhoodWatch SA

a safe and connected community

a safe and connected community

Welcome and thank you for attending the Neighbourhood Watch Volunteers Association of SA Inc. Annual General Meeting and Awards Ceremony for 2017. It is always important to take time to recognise and acknowledge the good work and achievements of both our volunteers and police officers who support the Neighbourhood Watch (NHW) program within South Australia.

‘A Safe and Connected Community’ is the tag line for NHW and has been the focus for the last 12 months within the program. Although this will remain as the tag line for NHW, this year the theme for the program will be to ‘connect’. South Australia is a diverse community and it is important to connect with people in your community and SAPOL. It is hoped by doing this that we can encourage new members into the NHW program.

It’s an exciting time to be involved with NHW and this year will also see the launch of some exciting new initiatives that have resulted from the $2 million in government funding allocated to reinvigorate the program. These initiatives include the new NHW website, NHW ambassadors, a partnership with Encounter Youth, and the NHW mascot.

Today sees the launch of the new NHW SA website, which will allow community members to connect not only with NHW, but also their local groups. This site is an excellent way for the community to find out about NHW in our state and access useful crime prevention information.

The ambassadors will promote the good work conducted by NHW within the community and their existing networks. I am also pleased to see the involvement of youth ambassadors who will engage with the younger members of our community to promote the program.

The Annual General Meeting and Awards Ceremony is a great opportunity to network with other NHW volunteers and SAPOL members and celebrate another successful year within the program.

I would like to commend both the Neighbourhood Watch Volunteers Association of South Australia Inc. and members of SAPOL’s State Community Engagement Section for their efforts in organising this event. I wish you every success for the day.

Commissioner's Report

Grant StevensCommissioner of Police

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2017 Annual General Meeting & Awards Ceremony11 November 2017, Commencing 10:30am

Open and Welcome by the President of the Neighbourhood Watch Volunteers Association of S.A. Inc., Dennis Obst.

Awards Ceremony

10:30 am A special welcome to distinguished guests

Present and Apologies list at front tables

10:35 am Address by Police Minister, Hon Chris Picton

10:45 am Presentation of Neighbourhood Watch Volunteer Awards

11:00 am Remembrance Day Commemoration

20 minute morning tea

11:25 am Neighbourhood Watch Moving Forward – Sergeant Susan O’Connor

11:35 am Address by Chief Inspector Alex Zimmermann

11:50 am Presentation of Neighbourhood Watch Police Awards

11:50 am Annual General Meeting of the Association

Adoption of minutes AGM November 2015

Business arising from Minutes

Presidents Report – Dennis Obst

Treasurers Report – George Holroyd

State Coordinators Report – Sergeant Susan O’Connor

Election of Office Bearers

Other Business

Thank you and close of meeting

Lunch

Hon Chris Picton MP is the Member for Kaurna in the southern suburbs of Adelaide and recently became the Minister for Police, Minister for Correctional Services, Minister for Emergency Services and Minister for Road Safety.

He was educated at public schools in Adelaide and graduated from Flinders University with a Bachelor of Laws and Legal Practice and a Bachelor of Arts.

Before entering Parliament he served as Chief of Staff to the Federal Attorney-General and Minister for Emergency Management, Nicola Roxon, as an Associate Director at Deloitte Access Economics and as Chief of Staff to former SA Health Minister John Hill. His significant areas of policy work included tobacco-control programs and public hospital reforms.

In 2016 to 2017 Chris was the Assistant Minister to the Treasurer and worked on reforms to reduce red tape for business, improve industry participation policies and secure SA’s energy future. Chris was also the Convenor of the SA Labor Party's Platform Committee.

Chris lives in Port Noarlunga with his wife and young daughter. When he has time he enjoys swimming, volunteer surf life saving, attending Crows matches and walking his dog on the beach.

Susan O’Connor has been a police officer since 1991. She has performed numerous operational roles within SAPOL, including general duties patrols, station, country posting, intelligence and crime prevention.

She has been heavily involved within Blue Light which provides young people with a safe and fun environment to engage with police. She was awarded a Certificate of Appreciation for her development of an Indigenous Youth Leadership and Cultural Awareness Camp.

She is currently working within the Strategic Engagement, State Community Engagement Section. Her current portfolios include Neighbourhood Watch SA and the implementation of the reinvigoration project.

Alex Zimmermann has been in the South Australia Police (SAPOL) since 1975. He is currently the Officer in Charge, State Community Engagement Section (SCES), which has the responsibility of supporting and providing administrative assistance to Neighbourhood Watch.

Within South Australia Police, Alex has worked in an enormously diverse number of operational, specialist, management and policy areas in both metropolitan and rural locations throughout the

state. Immediately before his role in SCES, Alex was appointed the Local Recovery Coordinator and was charged with supporting regional communities as they recovered from the Pinery Fire and the flooding which impacted the Northern Adelaide Plains.

Alex has had a long history of working closely with and supporting communities. Not only as the Local Service Area Commander in the Barossa for almost 8 years but also, and very poignantly for today, as the State Neighbourhood Watch Coordinator between 2000 and 2001.

Whilst Neighbourhood Watch Coordinator, Alex was responsible for the last reinvigoration program for Neighbourhood Watch and is excited to part of this latest program of re-energising Neighbourhood Watch for the future.

Dennis Obst joined Neighbourhood Watch in 2004 and is the current Neighbourhood Watch Area Coordinator of Felixstow, in which he led the 2006 re-launch of the group. Dennis was elected as President of the Neighbourhood Watch Volunteers Association in 2010. This is the last official event for Dennis in his role of President as he will be resigning at today’s meeting.

His vocation has been in Christian ministry. Dennis has served in a variety

of leadership roles, attended and conducted leadership courses and completed a Certificate IV in Training and Assessment.

He is an accredited DiSC facilitator, a house maintenance ‘officer’, furniture creator from recycled materials, vegetable grower, regular Adelaide Oval patron for AFL games, and happily married to Sandra.

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Speakers - Biographies

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We are excited to announce the launch of the new Neighbourhood Watch (NHW) website. This has been implemented after vast consultation with internal stakeholders and the South Australian public. Respondents stated that although they felt NHW is a valuable program, a lack of time and knowledge about their local group are barriers to further engaging in NHW.

However, the majority of stakeholders reported that a stronger online presence will encourage more people to become more aware, and subsequently involved in NHW.

The dynamic and interactive website is housed within the South Australia Police (SAPOL) website. This is to gain greater exposure to the South Australian public and highlight our strong connection with SAPOL.

Users will have the ability to search for their nearest NHW group via suburb or postcode, and view the meeting dates, times and locations along with group contact details, local news and information. This website launch comes at a fantastic time, as crime statistics for each suburb are now also available on the SAPOL website, creating a strong link with local crime prevention.

Online Manager

The website will continue to grow over time to become more inclusive of all members of our community, with plans to introduce information about NHW in other languages in 2018.

NHW’s recent digital investment and uptake has already achieved great results for the program. In the past 12 months, several new groups have been launched by those under the age of 50, signalling an early change in NHW demographics.

The website is currently accessible at www.police.sa.gov.au/nhw and can still be accessed from www.watchsa.net.au

Dan SchmidtNeighbourhood Watch Online Engagement Manager

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President’s ReportAt the Annual General Meeting in 2013, it was with some excitement that we welcomed the $2 million grant from the State Government for the reinvigoration of Neighbourhood Watch (NHW) in SA, particularly with reference to our online presence. The ‘gestation’ period for this venture has been longer and more complex than I expected.

Today, however, we are celebrating the ‘birth’ of our new website. I hope that our current Volunteers and Supporters will also make use of this new resource. Special thanks to Dan Schmidt who has so patiently waited to give expression to his creative gifts.

Facebook has continued to be an avenue of contact between NHW groups and NHW and the general public.The consulting firm Squiz was engaged by SAPOL to develop a digital strategy for NHW. They consulted widely, both within NHW and within the broader community. The following observation was included in their executive summary: “There was a strong agreement on shifting perceptions from a purely safety focus to one that empowers and builds community.” We have the tag line “A safe and connected community” and would do well to explore what ‘connected’ might mean at a local level.

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The reinvigoration project has also included the updating and creation of new printed resources. Thanks to Sergeant Susan O’Connor, there has been a raft of new publications and publicity materials provided.

The Board’s contribution to the development of a Memorandum of Administrative Agreement has been completed and we have recently formalised this agreement with SAPOL.

Following an approach from Encounter Youth, the Board decided to support collaboration with this very effective organisation, thus opening the door to the NHW message being conveyed to thousands of young people in South Australia. This is a bold move, jointly funded by SAPOL and NHW. SAPOL officers already work with Encounter Youth staff and volunteers, in serving young people.

NHW volunteers again acted as marshals for the Australia Day parade in January. RFID sleeves have been sold; and while not at the Royal Adelaide Show this year, we had a stand at the Home Show in October.

The partnership with South Australia Police: We have enjoyed an excellent partnership conducted in good spirit. Recent changes in SAPOL may have unsettled us a little, but I have not questioned the commitment of officers to NHW and its mission. I have valued the leadership of Superintendent Phil Hoff, recently succeeded by Chief Inspector Alex Zimmerman. My special thanks go to Sergeant Susan O’Connor, who has worked creatively and cooperatively in promoting and advocating for NHW.

The Board of Management: As required by our revised constitution, we have appointed two additional people to the Board: Lisa Teburea, Executive Director of Public Affairs with the Local Government Association and Darren Gibbins, CBS Inc. Jobnet Regional Manager – Metro. Peter McMahon a long-serving Board Member had to resign due to ill health and Shiralee Reardon was appointed to complete his term. Shiralee comes to the Board with wide experience and is currently an Elected Member with the City of Salisbury. It has been a delight to welcome these new members to the Board, joining Phil Tavender (Vice President), Ben Williams (Vice President), Paul Sutcliffe (Secretary), George Holroyd (Treasurer), Beverley Kinloch and Patricia Salter.

Peter McMahon’s service is being recognised in a special way at this meeting.

Members attended a two-hour governance training session in February, conducted by the Volunteers Association of SA, and received helpful hints on dealing with the media in April from Vivienne Oakley from SAPOL’s Media and Public Engagement Section.

We have an excellent Board of Management and I consider it a privilege to have been involved with these members. It is time for me to step aside after seven years as President. It is also time for new leaders to take NHW forward in new ways. I have had a great time on this ‘journey’ and will seriously miss it, but the best is still to be for NHW in SA.

Thanks for the opportunity!

Dennis ObstPresidentNeighbourhood Watch Volunteers Association of South Australia Inc.

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State Coordinator's ReportWow – what a massive year it has been in Neighbourhood Watch SA. I am so excited to have the opportunity to speak today to showcase some new and exciting initiatives we have to share with our volunteers.

Today is about celebrating the achievements of the program over the last 12 months. We have seen some great work by our volunteers and police coordinators and you will hear about some of that work today when we announce our award winners.

It has been an extremely busy time within State Community Engagement Section during the past 12 months. We are enjoying continued success with the Neighbourhood Watch SA Facebook page as a tool to engage with members of the community that have not previously been involved with the Neighbourhood Watch (NHW) program. It is an effective tool to push real-time crime prevention advice to the community on crime issues that are occurring at the time. It has also seen a peaked interest in members of the community wanting to be involved with the program or start a new group within their community. Five new groups are in the process of commencing, highlighting the fantastic community support.

We have continued to process our volunteers through the Police Volunteer Program. At some time in the near future there will be a cut-off date where members will have needed to have completed their application forms. If your group is yet to commence this process, please speak to your Police Coordinator for assistance.

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At this year’s Royal Adelaide Show, State Community Engagement Section members handed out 10,000 Neighbourhood Watch and SAPOL fidget spinners to young children who answered a road safety question correctly. Parents were given NHW promotional business cards.

Today we are excited to launch a new partnership between NHW, SAPOL and Encounter Youth. NHW is now the principal partner of Encounter Youth’s Safe Education program. The Neighbourhood Watch Volunteers Association of SA Inc. and SAPOL have jointly funded this project for the next 12 months. The sponsorship of the program will provide NHW information to Encounter Youth’s target audience of young people, teachers and parents.

Today you will also get to meet the new NHW German Shepherd mascot. The mascot is available to be used for engaging with young children and families at community events. The dog is yet to be named so today we are launching a competition to find a suitable name.

We are also launching our NHW ambassadors who are people with influence within their field, or a person involved in the program with the ability to reach a target audience. These ambassadors will promote the program through both media and social media and be invited to host or make presentations at NHW events.

We have engaged an external marketing company to assist with some suitable messaging regarding our re-launch. We are excited with the messaging that Nucleus has produced and we will be using it to promote the NHW program both internally and externally.

The newly badged NHW fleet will be leading this year’s 2017 Credit Union Christmas Pageant, which is great exposure for the NHW brand.

We also participated in the Red25 campaign for the Australian Red Cross Blood Service. This saw police officers and volunteers donate blood under the Neighbourhood Watch SA Bleed Green campaign. If you are able to donate please consider doing so and registering your donation under the Neighbourhood Watch SA Red25 campaign.

I would like to acknowledge the work of Dennis Obst who retires today from the President role within the Neighbourhood Watch Volunteers Association of SA Inc. It has been my absolute pleasure to work with Dennis over the last few years and I am sad to see him leaving but I am grateful for his assistance and friendship during this time. I would also like to congratulate Dennis on receiving the Lions Club of the City of Adelaide and South Australia Police South Australian Citizen’s Award for 2017 – a very worthy winner.

This is also my last duty as the SAPOL State Coordinator for NHW. I will soon be commencing my new role as a Senior Sergeant at Road Safety Section. I would like to thank the Board of Management, Dan Schmidt and all the police officers and volunteers I have worked with in my time with NHW. I have loved working on the reinvigoration project and will follow with interest as the program continues to evolve.

Sergeant Susan O'ConnorState CoordinatorNeighbourhood Watch SA

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Encounter YouthIn August 2017, Encounter Youth approached Neighbourhood Watch and SAPOL to be the Principal Partner of Encounter Youth’s Party Safe Education™ program. This partnership with Encounter Youth will assist Neighbourhood Watch to grow a positive connection amongst young people and their families within SA. Encounter Youth is a not-for-profit charitable organisation, which has been providing direct relief to young people facing serious social challenges since 1999. Encounter Youth educate secondary school students and parents in alcohol and other drug education throughout SA and their program has recently expanded to be available nationally. They educate approximately 20,000 young people, teachers and parents through their program delivery. In SA, their Party Safe Education™ program is currently delivered within 77 schools. Encounter Youth have a total exposure to over 30,000 people, including program delivery, expos, conference and wellbeing days.

Encounter Youth’s key message is ‘look after yourself, look after your mates, it’s your choice’. With a strong focus on the safety of young people, we feel that the Encounter Youth partnership is well suited to Neighbourhood Watch’s message.

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SAPOL have previously worked with Encounter Youth through their coordination of the SA Schoolies Operation within both schools and in Victor Harbor at Schoolies Festival™ with Principal Partner, the Motor Accident Commission. SAPOL also works with Encounter Youth through their year-round Hindley Street Program which engages with young people on Adelaide’s central party precinct on Saturday nights. Being a Principal Partner for Encounter Youth will provide Neighbourhood Watch with recognition within all seminars, expos, media interviews, conferences and all marketing of the program. Neighbourhood Watch will be promoted through Encounter Youth’s website, social media channels and e-newsletters to teachers. Neighbourhood Watch branding will feature on facilitator uniforms, wallet tip cards, expo pull up banners, promotional flyers for the program, email banner, letterheads and all marketing for the program.

During program delivery, presenters will promote the Neighbourhood Watch program to participants and its benefits to young people. The Neighbourhood Watch SA Facebook page and promotional material will be highlighted to participants. The survey sent out after the program's delivery will include two questions regarding safety and Neighbourhood Watch, to understand young people further. The data will be provided to Neighbourhood Watch and SAPOL. The outcomes for Neighbourhood Watch and SAPOL from the partnership include: strengthening positive relationships between SAPOL and young people, as well as teachers and parents encouraging young people to report suspicious behaviour changing perceptions and increasing awareness of Neighbourhood Watch across the state promoting young people joining Neighbourhood Watch providing intelligence collected from the survey results increasing community engagement through the promotion of the Neighbourhood Watch Facebook page and website promoting SAPOL as a future career to students. This is a great opportunity for the Neighbourhood Watch program to have positive engagement with young people and their families and to encourage further participation within the program. We are excited about our new partnership.

The 2017 Neighbourhood Watch SA Annual General Meeting and Awards Ceremony is hosted by:

South Australia Police is committed to working in partnership with the community and greatly appreciates the contributions that the many Neighbourhood Watch SA volunteers make for a safe and connected community.

The vision of Neighbourhood Watch SA is: A safe and connected community.

The mission of Neighbourhood Watch is: Partnering SAPOL and the community to raise awareness, collaborate, and inspire local action.

NeighbourhoodWatch SA