Hillarys Police officers say they have enjoyed a generally incident-free summer at the Boat Harbour.
Senior Constable Jim Armstrong said that after some highly publicised problems in the area last year, a comprehensive policing response had been developed.
“The marina is a high-profile tourist destination and popular with locals as well, attracting literally millions of visitors every year,” Senior Constable Armstrong said.
“We set out to make sure a safe, friendly environment was maintained, while leaving no doubt the marina was not the place to cause trouble or commit offences.”
He said Marina Management, MCS Security and business owners could not have been more supportive, with Director of the Aqua Island Water Park, Samantha Crawford a “terrific ally”.
“Providing kids with access to the Water Park to reward or encourage good behaviour has been a huge carrot and after support from WA Police’s Community Engagement Division and local business sponsorship, we have been able to use this to our advantage,” Senior Constable Armstrong said.
He said Hillarys Police also had support from the Traffic Enforcement Group (TEG) and Joondalup District Youth Engagement officers who helped to maintain a high visibility police presence in the area.
“The TEG ran booze bus operations in the local area for example, which complemented regular patrols by uniformed officers and added to the public perception that police were on hand,” he said.
“Another very successful strategy has been to follow up on minor damage offences where a suspect was able to be readily identified. These types of offences tend to go unreported since the dollar values involved are often low.”
He said getting the complainant, offender and parents together had resulted in apologies and/or payment of damages, while avoiding any involvement with the justice system for the young person involved.
