Community safety in Australian Indigenous communities : service providers' perceptions
This study investigates measures and perceptions of safety in Indigenous communities in Australia. It details the development of a questionnaire designed to capture perceptions of community safety in Indigenous communities, which is hoped will be utilised by organisations and service providers in their work. It also presents findings from a survey of 159 workers from service providers in remote, regional, and urban areas. The results presented are intended to be illustrative, rather than representative, and include community strengths; crime and social problems - such as overcrowding, alcohol misuse, school attendance, and domestic violence; community services available; perceived safety of personnel/respondent; reasons for feeling safe or unsafe; perceived safety of Indigenous people, by age group and gender; times and places considered unsafe; community safety initiatives; perceived level of need for change; crime reporting and disclosure by victims; and who victims of violence turn to for support, for men, women, children, and female sexual assault victims.