Crime has fallen in Glenorchy over the past year, with new police data showing community safety has improved following the rollout of high-visibility policing initiatives.
Tasmania Police have reported a 16% drop in total offences and a 21% reduction in youth crime, with offences down from 4,578 in 2023–24 to 3,848 in 2024–25.
Youth offences fell from 928 to 731 over the same period, a result Glenorchy Mayor Sue Hickey described as “amazing”.
“We’re passionate about having a safe city. We’re trying to stop this nonsense that we’re not safe. It’s a beautiful city full of lovely, aspiring people,” Hickey said.
“But more importantly, we have 9,000 kids between the ages of 10 and 19 and they are great kids.”
“We want to make sure that they’re not stained because of the mischief of just a couple of ratbags.”
Inspector Jason Klug said the results showed the impact of Taskforce Respect, which has been running for several weeks as part of wider safety efforts.
“They’re some really good figures to show that crime in our area is actually reducing,” he said.
“What we’ve seen in regards to calls for police assistance within the CBD is that our calls have reduced by about 40% since the introduction of Taskforce Respect.”
The taskforce focuses on what Inspector Klug described as “anti-social behaviour as well as retail crime”, with officers targeting “any offences that might disturb somebody from enjoying our public spaces”.
Hickey said the partnership between council and police had been “outstanding” in shifting perceptions about safety in the area.
“Due to some recent negative events, there’s been a perception of an increase in crime in Glenorchy, which is far from the truth,” she said.
“The visible policing is making a real difference in making the community feel safe and deterring offenders.”
The taskforce is made up of a sergeant and four full-time police constables, supported by officers working around the clock across the division.
Inspector Klug said the approach was a return to “back-to-basics” policing, giving officers the time and resources to connect with the community.
“Our officers have been fantastic in building those relationships with youth,” he said.
“What we have seen is some youth that may have been engaging in behaviours that were bordering on illegal … have really been able to turn themselves around.”
The taskforce has recently expanded its focus beyond street-level offences to crack down on where stolen goods are being sold, including searching premises and monitoring social media platforms.
The council is now working towards setting up a dedicated youth hub, while police plan to continue the taskforce indefinitely.
“We’re not going to take our foot off the pedal,” Klug said.
“We’re going to continue working with our partners across the Glenorchy area to ensure that our community is safe and feels safe.”
