No silver bullets, says Cr Law

Cr David Law at Council’s Nambour offices ... “Shifting that perception around safety in Nambour is going to be a huge piece of work.”

Safety in Nambour, just like all towns of similar size, was a complex issue affecting multiple agencies and groups of people and would require community cooperation, according to Div 10 Cr David Law.  

“There isn’t one silver bullet. Every level of government has a part to play. And, importantly, as individuals we’ve also got a part to play. “Shifting that perception around safety in Nambour is going to be a huge piece of work,” he said.

Cr Law said a call from businessman Andrew Pitcher, in last fortnight’s Gazette, for increased police presence to improve safety in Nambour had generated valuable community discussion. 

“When I was reading through the social media comments on Living in Nambour (Facebook Page), after the Gazette came out this week, it was really encouraging to see that people appreciated that Nambour was a great place that was about to take off. People can see the business opportunities, and there are people who see the creative opportunities.

“Other people yearn for that strong connection back to Nambour’s past when it was this vibrant, thriving centre of the Maroochy Shire. The sugar mill, the farming, the pineapples. And there are people who are concerned and have this perception that it’s not safe in Nambour. And, for me, I really feel it is a perception. The numbers don’t say Nambour is any worse than anywhere else on the Coast. And that’s why I think a perception shift is needed.

“My kids are happy and safe being out and about in town, and I’m happy for them to be out and about in town. Other people have had different experiences and they may feel differently, but every town and every place you go to has antisocial behaviour.

“One of my absolutely favourite comments from Living in Nambour (Facebook Page) was that we needed to turn our fear and judgement into compassion ... when you feel compassion for someone and try to understand them rather than judging them, suddenly an issue looks very different.

“So that really sums it up for me. Let’s not judge people, let’s have a more compassionate approach and then we may understand better and we might be able to achieve better outcomes.

“I think the good thing is everyone wants what’s best for Nambour. I met Andrew Pitcher a couple of weeks ago and we had a really good conversation. You know, at the end of the day we want to achieve the same outcome.”