Name change for Safer Community Group

The Franklin Safer Community Council has changed their name to Franklin Safer Community Coalition (SCC).

This name change signifies the involvement of a number of community groups and organisations, including Franklin District Council, Counties Manukau Police, Pukekohe and Waiuku Community Patrols, Truancy Services, youth services and local Maori representatives.

Franklin District Council GM Environmental Services James Jefferson says, “The updating of the name reflects that this is not just a council group – but a community organisation that, while led by Franklin District Council, has huge input from other groups and organisations within the district. This truly is a coalition of skills and services working towards making Franklin a cleaner and safer place to live.”

The Safer Community Coalition has one full time coordinator and another part time coordinator working on eradicating graffiti.

The Safer Community Coalition is currently working on four main projects;

Spray Can Law Change - The Ministry of Justice has awarded Safer Community Coalition with a grant to educate Franklin retailers on the selling of spray cans to minors. The cans are what youths use for graffiti. The aim is to liaise with retailers by holding workshops covering their responsibilities and educate them on the laws and penalties that can be incurred. SCC will run workshops and create resources to educate retailers on the law changes, and discuss strategies to help them meet all requirements.

Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design - The Safer Community Coalition is working on an initiative with the local community to make a reserve more appealing and user friendly. This in turn creates ownership within the community for the reserve, with the ultimate aim of creating guardians and reducing vandalism. They are looking at McShane Street Park for this initiative initially with planning already underway.

Truancy - The team is currently working on a strategy with Franklin District Truancy, Pukekohe High School and NZ Police to address this problem.

Operation Youth Space - Franklin District Council has been granted government funding for Operation Youth Space, an innovative project that will benefit local young people. The Ministry of Youth Development’s Youth Development Partnership Fund has granted $26,667 to enable young people to redesign an open space area in Franklin through the formation of a youth advisory committee which the Safer Community Coalition will lead.