The Sunshine Coast Council in Queensland has announced it will significantly enhance security measures for its staff, responding to a troubling increase in aggressive behavior toward council employees. From January to August 2023, the council recorded 73 incidents of aggression, nearly matching the total for the entire previous year and surpassing the 66 incidents reported in 2022. The rise in these incidents has prompted the council to introduce body-worn cameras for employees and bolster security presence across its facilities.
Council CEO John Baker stated that every resident deserves to work without fear of harm. He expressed concern about the profound impact of abusive incidents on staff across various departments, including customer service, parks and gardens, and community facilities. “These are not isolated incidents. They are serious, and they are unacceptable,” Baker emphasized.
New Measures and Support Initiatives
The Sunshine Coast Council plans to implement a range of safety enhancements, including upgraded CCTV and increased security at vulnerable locations. The body-worn cameras will only be activated in serious cases, ensuring that footage is collected for evidence purposes. In addition to these physical security measures, the council is committed to providing greater support to employees, including expanded access to counselling and de-escalation training.
Baker highlighted the importance of community support in safeguarding council workers. “We are working to assist workers to better diffuse and cope with confrontational situations,” he said. The council hopes these initiatives will reduce anxiety among employees and minimize service disruptions affecting the community.
Wider Context of Aggression Towards Council Workers
The rise in aggression is not unique to the Sunshine Coast. Similar trends have been observed in councils across Australia. For instance, Cumberland City Council in Sydney recently deployed a customized Tesla equipped with surveillance technology to protect its staff following a series of violent incidents. This vehicle, which uses cameras linked to license plate monitoring software, reportedly led to a 64 percent reduction in such incidents in high-risk areas.
The issue of increasing aggression extends beyond local councils, impacting retail workers as well. Major retailers like Woolworths, Bunnings, and Coles have also begun utilizing body-worn cameras to enhance employee safety.
According to Emily Moir, a senior lecturer in criminology and justice at the University of the Sunshine Coast, this surge in violence may be a lingering effect of the COVID-19 pandemic. “What we have seen nationally across Australia is a rise in anti-government beliefs,” Dr. Moir explained. Many individuals viewed government-imposed public health measures during the pandemic as draconian, which may have led to a perception of local council workers as representatives of the government and, therefore, more vulnerable to harassment.
As these measures are rolled out, the Sunshine Coast Council’s actions come at a crucial time, coinciding with National Safe Work Month in October, which aims to raise awareness about health and safety in the workplace. The council’s initiative underscores a growing recognition of the need to protect employees working in public service roles from aggression and abuse.
