DIVISION 10 Cr David Law said increased policing was just one of a raft of measures required to reinvigorate Nambour.

“I would say safety is one small component of the overall whole picture,” Cr Law said. “I don’t believe it is the only issue.”

He said his and Council’s main area of responsibility concerned connecting the community to build strong communities.

“High perceptions of community safety are achieved through our collaborative partnerships and there is a lot of great work being done in that space.

“But in my view a stronger community has to be achieved through, not just policing on its own. Early intervention is powerful and we need to continue to support the initiatives of PCYC and of IFYS. We need to support the initiatives of Community Solutions and their youth program.

“And, above everything else, the number one crime problem and issue for the police and for communities is domestic violence.”

Cr Law said he wasn’t convinced there was any more antisocial behaviour in Nambour now than there may have been 20 years ago. He said he and his wife chose to raise their kids in Nambour and he had no problem at all with them being out and about in Nambour.

“We love the place,” he said. “Nambour does not experience crime at a greater rate than other areas across the Sunshine Coast and this includes violent crime and drug crime.”

Nambour also was going through a significant transition from a period where it was the administrative centre for the whole Sunshine Coast to one where that function had moved to the coast.

“I think retail everywhere is also going through a huge transition,” he said.

This phase required repurposing to new and different uses. People were now inclined to shop online or in large centres such as Sunshine Plaza or Kawana Shoppingworld and it wasn’t necessarily a good thing to attract big box retailers to the middle of Nambour and have them stifle smaller businesses in towns.

International Broadband Cable connections to the Coast held huge potential benefits for the area. “Nambour is extremely well placed to take advantage of improved connectivity through new technology,” he said. – Cameron Outridge