Waterloo Neighbourhood Precinct representative Ross Smith said the department needed to give
Redfern police wider powers to monitor Waterloo Green.
“The green is private land owned by the department, so
police need permission to police things like alcohol and other behaviour
effectively,” Mr Smith said. “The Department of Housing needs to give
that authority to the police as part of a wider strategy for public housing
areas like this.”
Redfern police crime manager Detective Inspector Brad Monk
said that a meeting held earlier this month between residents, the department,
the Redfern-Waterloo Authority and Redfern police had been positive.
“The meeting went well – there’s a number of agencies communicating
and identifying the heart of the problem,” he said.
Det Insp Monk said reducing ongoing drinking at the Green
was a major objective of Redfern police and was hopeful a solution would soon
be reached.
“The Department of Housing is conducting its own
inquiries with its own legal advisers to see how they can assist the police in
policing that area.”
A spokesman for the department said the meeting was held to
update stakeholders in progress made with the Waterloo Green Action Plan drawn
up last year.
Source: Central of 27th February 2008