Programs Available

Cameron and MacDougall (2000) believe that community development is key to preventing crime, thus the sport programs available to the Preston community fall under the Healthy Moves and Free Exercise Project and include a range of physical activity innovations that attempt to improve social cohesion. Of the projects offered most are not directly linked to crime prevention but may result in this as a consequence of individuals being more physically active. The Healthy Moves and Free Exercise Project consists of the following programs: National Nutrition Week Events Free Womens Zumba Dance Fitness Classes AustCycles Free Exercise in the Parks Outdoor Exercise Equipment Heart Foundation Walking Groups Lift for Life Mens Shed Subsidised Gym Memberships

Each program targets a separate segment of the community, meaning some programs are more suitable for particular individuals than they may be for others. Generally the programs that are of greater use in terms of crime prevention are targeted to youth as these are the individuals more susceptible to crime (Australian Institute of Criminology, 2013). It is difficult to evaluate each item in great detail within this document thus each will be briefly explained in terms of the program itself and how useful its contribution to crime prevention.

National Nutrition Week Events

Annually, the Darebin City Council offer a range of events across a week long period that highlights the importance of nutrition and healthy living. This program whilst offered to all members of the community is most likely to attract elderly individuals due to its low physical activity levels. As the program concentrates more towards nutrition it may not be extremely useful towards crime prevention.

Womens Zumba Dance Fitness Classes

Zumba has become a revelation in terms of fitness and weight loss and as such the council now offers free classes to women of all ages at Preston City Hall with the last of these classes to be held on Thursday November 7th at 6pm (Darebin City Council, 2013). Likewise to the National Health Week programs, this is more concerned with wellbeing and as a result may not impact crime levels in Preston.

AustCycles
AustCycle is an organisation that aims to equip people with the skills and confidence to cycle regularly (Darebin City Council, 2013). Similarly to the previously mentioned programs, AustCycle is a specialised program that caters to a certain section of the community. Likewise to the previously mentioned programs, AustCyles may have very little influence on minimising crime.

Free Exercise in the Parks

Of the programs offered to the community, this may perhaps be one of the most significant in deterring crime. Offered at a range of venues across Preston and the bordering suburbs, the program is available for individuals of all ages and promotes social cohesion and development through physical activity. One area for improvement is that the program needs further advertising to reach the community and youth may need some form of enticement to attend.

Outdoor Exercise Equipment

The offering of gym equipment to the community accompanies the well-kept public parks, facilities and grounds to ensure sport is always available. Preston City Oval is the home of the Northern Blues, has a capacity of roughly 5000 and is iconic in the Preston community for its history (Austadiums, 2010). With the addition of access to fee gym equipment at CH Sullivan Reserve, Darebin City Council (otherwise known as the City of Darebin) is making physical activity more readily available and this can have a positive influence on Prestons crime rates.

Heart Foundation Walking Groups

The Heart Foundation (2013) offers a range of walking programs in Prestons surrounding suburbs to promote a healthy lifestyle. Generally the participants of this program are of an older age or have a specific health requirement thus it is not as useful in crime prevention as other programs are.

Mens Shed
The mens shed provides an opportunity for men of all ages to work on meaningful projects in a warming environment. Health and safety is constantly reiterated throughout this program and this is a key area for crime prevention to be emphasized.

Gym Memberships and Lift for Life

Darebin City Council offers subsidised gym memberships to ensure some community members have a focus on maintaining their physical well-being. Anonymous (2013) argues that those that are driven and have something to work towards are less likely to become involved in crime. Lift for Life however is designed for adults with (or at risk of developing) type 2 diabetes (Darebin City Council, 2013).

Recommendations
Whilst the aforementioned programs offered are useful for community development and promoting physical activity, Darebin City Council has no such crime prevention program that utilizes sport as a crime prevention tool. Existing programs could be expanded upon or new programs can be implemented to spread the message of the relationship between sport and crime. A great opportunity for the deliverance of this message includes such activities as a Police v Community football match at Preston City Oval. 22 of the communitys best football players can be selected to play against some of Prestons police force in a charity event. Proceeds could go to a youth charity or an organisation such as the Heart Foundation to further expand the connection with the council. Other programs to consider would be late night basketball at a local facility such as C.H. Sullivan Sports Stadium in an attempt to keep youth off the streets at night.

References
Austadiums 2010, Preston City Oval, Austadiums, viewed 22 October 2013, http://www.austadiums.com/stadiums/stadiums.php?id=282

Australian Institute of Criminology 2013, Young people and crime, Australian Institute of Criminology, viewed 22 October 2013, http://www.aic.gov.au/crime_community/demographicgroup/youngpeople.html

Cameron, M & MacDougall, C 2000, Crime Prevention Through Sport and Physical Activity, Australian Institute of Criminolgy, viewed 21 October 2013, http://www.aic.gov.au/documents/3/E/F/%7B3EF114BC-51A4-4311-A9120E9AD1833995%7Dti165.pdf

Darebin City Council 2013, Healthy Moves and Free Exercise, Darebin City Council, viewed 21 October 2013, http://www.darebin.vic.gov.au/Page/Page.aspx?Page_Id=9776

Anonymous 2013, Patterns of Crime: Age, Sociology Central, viewed 24 October 2013, http://www.sociology.org.uk/pblsdca.pdf

The Heart Foundation 2013, VIC walking groups, The Heart Foundation, viewed 23 October 2013, http://www.heartfoundation.org.au/active-living/walking/walking-groups/Pages/VICWalking-Groups.aspx