A new neighbourhood watch program, ‘Dogs on Patrol’, aims to encourage Ipswich residents to be proactive about keeping a lookout for anything that looks suspicious in their area, that could potentially lead to crime.
‘Dogs on Patrol’ has been launched at Providence Ripley to promote neighbourhood surveillance while being out and about.
The program is being implemented by the Ipswich District Crime Prevention and Ipswich Neighbourhood Watch groups to encourage residents to be the ‘eyes and ears’ of the community.
With nine neighbourhood watch groups in the district, Senior Sergeant Nadine Webster says she hopes the program would also be launched in other areas of Ipswich.
“We’re fortunate that Providence Ripley Valley have come on board and were prepared to be the first to launch Dogs on Patrol,” Senior Sergeant Webster said.
“There are so many future developments with Providence, not only housing developments but potentially an off-leash dog park, which ties in well with the Dogs on Patrol project.
“We hope the success of this event inspires other areas of the district to launch their own Dogs on Patrol initiative.”
Senior Sergeant Webster said the scheme allows the police to gain vital information from the public.
“This is another way the community can take preventative measures,” SGT Webster said.
“If we have something happening in a particular area, we can liaise with Neighbourhood Watch and they can inform the community.”
Pam Lobwein, of the Ipswich Direct Neighbourhood Watch said the most important aspect of Dogs on Patrol was the community looking out for one another.
“We certainly don’t go out and fight the crime, but we can help”, Ms Lobwein said.
“It’s about encouraging members of the community who are already out and about to act as surveillance, and report if they see anything suspicious in their community.”
The Queensland Police Service urge Ipswich residents to not place themselves in danger when out on walks, but to instead carry a mobile phone. If you do see a crime being committed, call Triple Zero (000) immediately. For non-urgent situations, call Police Link on 131 444.
