Safety team hits Hobart CBD amid reports of youths 'causing havoc'

Safety officers serving as "eyes and ears" in Hobart's CBD are hoping their patrols will help curb antisocial behaviour and improve communication with businesses.

The City of Hobart has officially rolled out its Safe City Liaison Team, kickstarting a three-year trial designed to create a highly visible, approachable presence in the city centre.

The launch comes amid reports that groups of young people were "causing havoc" within the CBD, though police say there has not necessarily been a surge in incidents.

The three safety officers, who have backgrounds in areas like policing and the justice system, will regularly patrol the CBD during business hours.

Raewyn Pike, one of the new safety officers, said while they did not have the power to make arrests, the officers would "work collaboratively" with Tasmania Police and other agencies.

"We're not there to be an enforcement role, we're purely there to assist or to monitor if that's what needs to be done at the time," she said.

As well as reporting crimes or incidents to police, the officers will also work to assist vulnerable people in finding relevant community support services.

Launch follows recent arrests

The program was endorsed by the council in March and its launch comes at a time when youth crime has been a prevalent topic across Hobart.

A group of six youths aged between 12 and 13 were arrested on Saturday after they allegedly assaulted members of the public in the CBD.

On Wednesday three teenagers aged between 14 and 15 were charged with common assault following an incident in the Claremont shopping precinct, where a man received head injuries.

Hobart Chamber of Commerce general manager Robert Mallett said "organised gangs of young kids" were regularly disrupting businesses.

"There's a perception that crime is getting worse, that kids are becoming much more brazen and that thieves are becoming much more organised," he said.

"[The new safety officers] will provide a level of calmness and organisation that is not there at the moment, despite the fact we've got a very hard-working police force."

Business owner not convinced

Sidney Davies runs a barber shop in the CBD and has managed to mostly avoid the impacts of antisocial behaviour, other than some "mindless vandalism" with broken eggs.

But a cafe next door had its tip jar stolen and window smashed in and Mr Davies said he regularly saw young people examining goods outside his front window.

While he was glad the council was showing "some form of proactivity", the barber was not convinced it would be enough to address the issues.

"We've had security guards in Woolworths … and other independent security guards working in the mall and it hasn't deterred it," Mr Davies said.

"These kids know that they're untouchable and there's no consequences, so it'll be interesting to see how they're going to negotiate that issue."

Hobart councillor and Safer City Alliance chair Louise Bloomfield said the officers were "not just security guards" and would be the "first port of call" for any issues in the CBD.

"We've heard there are more kids in the city at the moment causing havoc easily addressed using this new system," she said.

"This is about creating the eyes and ears of our city, such that we actually have people who know where to go if there's an issue – they can address it early."

Incidents not necessarily on the rise

Tasmania Police Acting Inspector Dave Summers said the introduction of the safety officers would be a "great complement" to the proactive patrols already undertaken by police.

He said the safety officers would be able to communicate with members of the community who may be reluctant to speak to police.

Despite the common perception that youth crime in the CBD was on the rise, Acting Inspector Summers said he did not think this was necessarily the case.

"With the rise of social media and things like that, I guess it's getting more promoted than what it used to be, so I don't think it's getting any worse," he said.

"As a whole, youth crime is performed more so by a smaller group of recidivist type offenders rather than youth as a whole."

The safe city liaison initiative has been modelled off similar community safety and engagement initiatives operating in Perth and Melbourne.

The program run by the City of Melbourne involves a cohort of nearly two dozen Community Safety Officers trained to manage complex on-street situations.

Since the start of June, these officers have recorded more than 5,600 face-to-face interactions, resulting in 40 referrals to police and 70 people being referred to support services.