Safety concerns for Glebe residents

By Linda Daniele

Glebe residents have expressed their increasing concern about crime and safety in the area, with particular problems identified in the Franklyn Street housing estate and Lyndhurst area.
Councillor Robyn Kemmis raised concerns from ‘extremely stressed’ residents in the housing estate on Franklyn Street in Glebe at last week’s City of Sydney council meeting. She reported on having attended a meeting with residents together with police and Department of Housing staff.
The Department of Housing proposed to erect another set of security gates to cut off the transit through the Franklyn Estate, after the first set was vandalised within a day of being installed.
Residents have requested that a security guard for the estate be engaged to provide protection in the interim.
Lord Mayor Clover Moore MP said she would address these concerns with the support of local Councillor Verity Firth MP, and write to the NSW Minister of Housing, Matt Brown, to request a security guard.
‘People are really greatly distressed about the types of shocking crime that’s occurring in that area,’ Ms Moore said.
Security guards employed to protect other housing estates have contributed to creating a safe environment, according to Ms Moore. ‘As with CCTV cameras, they are the sorts of things you’d hope are not necessary, but clearly crime has got so severe that the CCTV cameras are necessary and I undertake to write to the Minister about providing security,’ she said.
Cr Kemmis also raised concerns on behalf of residents in the eastern part of the Lyndhurst area of Glebe. ‘They are concerned about the levels of lighting and safety of the rear lanes,’ she said. Cr Kemmis requested that the Council investigate what action could be taken to immediately address these concerns and raised the possibility of a safety audit of the area.
A safety audit is already planned for the St Phillips area in Glebe, which Ms Moore requested be extended to the Lyndhurst area to include ‘not only the local community and local residents, but council officers, local police and other agencies, [especially] the Department of Housing.’