Action Needed Now

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 27^th February 2008