Investment in youth initiatives designed to prevent crime would be better spent increasing the number of police in Canberra, a leading Australian criminologist says.
Professor Peter Norden, a fellow of the Australian and New Zealand Society of Criminology based at Deakin University, said police were a "very blunt instrument" and many hundreds of extra officers would be required to make a difference in the ACT.
But more police on the streets would likely see crime levels drop even if arrests didn't increase, Dr Kelly Hine, a lecturer in criminology at the Australian National University said, as an increased police presence was a deterrent to criminals.
It comes after the Canberra Liberals promised to recruit 130 extra police officers in the ACT over the next four years and build a new police station in the Molonglo Valley.
The Liberals made the announcement after an 18-year-old man was killed in a night-time stabbing at a Weston skatepark early last Sunday morning, after a group of what was thought to be mostly young people gathered at the park. The incident prompted renewed community calls for a greater police presence in the city's growing south-western flank.
Professor Norden said outreach and engagement was a better investment, including efforts to create liveable and affordable communities.
"The idea of reactive, simple solutions has always found, from practice, experience, research and evidence, not to be effective. It makes people think something's happening but in fact the effectiveness of just increasing police numbers as a result of an incident, or several incidents like this, is never usually a good approach," Professor Norden said.
The chief executive of Woden Community Service, Jenny Kitchin, said more needed to be done in the Molonglo area to support young people, with a lack of available space and facilities to run outreach programs.
"Providing an environment where young people can safely gather and gain access to a range of services, including targeted mental health services, is a priority for this region," Ms Kitchin said.
"Through the provision of a visible, safe and well-maintained physical facility, perhaps including a basketball court or next to a skate park, it would be possible to put in place other effective supports."
She said additional funding could provide evening and weekend programs for young people in the Molonglo region. "Through years of experience, we know that sustained, targeted programs addressing the practical needs of young people, such as a safe space to go to, can change lives and improve outcomes for everyone in the community," Ms Kitchin said.
Canberra has a lower number of police officers per capita than other jurisdictions, but the city also has the lowest levels of crime of any capital city. The fresh focus on police numbers comes as a series of high-profile incidents have been reported across the city, including a stabbing at Gowrie on Thursday night.
Dr Hine said international research had shown a larger police force helped reduce certain types of crime and more police helped community oriented policing work which was labour-intensive and focused on identifying problems and finding solutions
"If there are more police officers visibly walking the streets, then there is less opportunity for a crime to be committed and, consequently, fewer people becoming victimised. So, rather than more arrests being made, there is less crime occurring in the first place. Hence, there are strong benefits by increasing police numbers as seen by less crimes occurring, fewer people being victimised, and fewer people incarcerated," she said.
"Overall, increasing policing numbers would be beneficial, however, it is also important to consider how to utilise these increased resources most effectively."
