Conferences

Crime and older people

Adelaide
23-25 February 1993

Contents

• Introduction
• Conference papers

Introduction

This conference examines the issue of older people and crime. The papers cover: fear of crime; the role of the police; elder abuse and neglect; and crime prevention, urban design and local government initiatives.

Conference papers

• Crime and older people : preface
  Marianne James, Australian Institute of Criminology
• Opening address
  Senator The Hon Michael Tate, Minister for Justice and Senator for Tasmania
• Crime Prevention and Older People
  The Hon Chris Sumner, Attorney-General, Minister for Crime Prevention, Minister of Public Sector Reform, South Australia
• Older age, better life - from rhetoric to reality
  Marianne James, Australian Institute of Criminology
• Keynote address : Victimisation and fear of crime among the elderly : a possible link?
  Professor Ezzat Fattah, School of Criminology, Simon Fraser University, British Columbia, Canada
• Victimisation and fear amongst the elderly : an examination of two community surveys
  Paul Thomas, Office of Crime Statistics, South Australia

The role of the police

• The role of policing in the caring community : perceptions of older people
  Assoc Professor Simon Petrie and Lawrence Di Bartolo, Faculty of Law, Queensland University of Technology
• Role of police in crime prevention
  Leela Smith, Police Policy Adviser on Ageing, New South Wales Police Service

Panel discussion : the role of the police in crime prevention and fear reduction

• Crime prevention and the fear of crime : the role of police
  Insp Colin Cornish, Operations Community Affairs Branch, South Australia Police

Elder abuse and neglect (1)

• Abuse and neglect of older people : maximising and minimising the problem?
  Dr John McCallum, National Centre for Epidemiology and Population Health, Australian National University
• The 'getting' of elder abuse on the agenda
  Peter Dunn, Lecturer in Gerontology/Social Science, Charles Sturt University, New South Wales
• Engaging service providers in an effective response to elder abuse : the South Australian experience
  Margaret Farr, Office of the Commisioner for the Ageing, South Australia
• Elder abuse : eight scenarios in search of a construct
  Justin McDermott, Older Persons Planning Unit, Department of Health and Community Services, Victoria
• Patterns of elder abuse
  Paul Sadler, Office on Ageing, New South Wales
• An analysis of situations of elder abuse and neglect in Brisbane, and other Australian studies
  Jan Roberts, Community Health Development Worker, Women's Health Sector, Queensland Health

Guardianship issues

• Advocacy, guardianship and administration in Victoria
  Marion Champion, Systemic Advocate, Office of the Public Advocate, Victoria
• Protecting the ages : the role of the ACT Guardianship and Management Tribunal in the protection of the elderly against crime
  Ron Cahill, Chief Magistrate and President, Guardianship and Management of Property Tribunal, Australian Capital Territory

Elder abuse and neglect (2)

• Considering the elderly victim of crime, abuse and self-neglect
  Snr Const Helen Adams, Community Policing Squad, Victoria Police
• Elder abuse : the ethical dilemma
  Susan Johnson, Community Services, City of Gosnells, Western Australia; and Beth Kingsley, School of Nursing, Curtin University, Western Australia

Panel discussion : policy perspectives around Australia

• Crime, safety and the elderly : imperatives for research, policy formulation and action
  Perry Whalley, Faculty of Business, Northern Territory University, Northern Territory

Crime prevention, urban design and local government initiatives

• Report of a project conducted at Aldersgate Village, South Australia
  Gwen Moore, Manager of Day Services, Adelaide Central Mission, South Australia
• Urban design and crime prevention in housing for the ageing
  Wendy Bell, Planning Consultant, South Australia
• Creating safer communities with the elderly
  Karena Shannon, Coordinator, Christchurch Safer Community Council, New Zealand
• A practical application of defensible space theory
  Stephen Axford, Manager, Urban Design, Department of Planning and Development, Victoria
• Cooperation and a geographic information system makes a very much safer place to live
  Matt Miller, Group Manager, Information Services, City of Doncaster and Templestowe, Victoria
• Reduce crime against the elderly - a Western Australian perspective
  Chief Insp Des Hunter, Community Policing Unit, Western Australia Police, Western Australia
• Reducing fear of crime among the elderly : the Victorian experience through the confident living program for older Victorians
  Sgt Lindy Kerr, Victoria Police; and Brian Spencer, Department of Justice, Victoria

Panel discussion : Directions for the future - a multi-faceted approach

• Concluding discussion
  Marianne James, Australian Institute of Criminology; Lange Powell, Commissioner for the Ageing, South Australia; Paul Sadler, Senior Policy Officer, Office of the Ageing, New South Wales; Ron Cahill, Chief Magistrate, Australian Capital Territory; Professor Ezzat Fattah, School of Criminology, Simon Fraser University, British Columbia, Canada; and Chief Supt Geoff Edwards, Officer in Charge, Community Affairs Branch, South Australia Police