People behave differently when they think nobody knows who they are.

We see it online every day. In 2023, researchers M. Kim, M. E. Ellithorpe and S. A. Burt published a systematic review in Aggression and Violent Behaviour titled Anonymity and its role in digital aggression. It found a clear relationship between anonymity and harmful behaviour. Earlier work by psychologist John Suler on the “online disinhibition effect” reached a similar conclusion: when people feel less identifiable and less accountable, they are more likely to say or do things they would never attempt face to face.

That may sound like an online problem, but the principle is much broader. When people feel they can disappear into the background, standards slip. Self-restraint weakens. Whether it is online abuse, nuisance behaviour or shoplifting, anonymity can create the false comfort that no one is really watching, no one will remember, and no one can confidently identify who did what.

That is why Hobart’s move toward a Safer Hobart Liaison Team is such a positive and proactive step. Hobart City Council will be voting on the implementation of this team in the near future and I see this making real positive change.

The real strength of this model is not simply visibility. It is familiarity.

Safety Liaison Team members who regularly walk the same streets, speak with traders, know the regular faces, recognise emerging trouble spots and understand the rhythm of the precinct do more than respond to incidents. They reduce anonymity. A person is far less likely to shoplift, harass or create disorder when the person nearby is not a stranger in uniform, but someone who knows their face and could call them by name as they run past.

That sort of local knowledge matters. It changes behaviour.

There is a difference between the traditional security guard model and this new approach. A security guard has the air of authority, but little practical power beyond observing, reporting and asking someone to move on. It can look firm without necessarily being effective.

A Safety Liaison Team member is different. The role is more relationship-based, less threatening in tone and more open to conversation. Traders, workers, visitors and vulnerable people alike are more likely to engage with a familiar face than a distant figure of authority. A guard can stand watch. A Safety Liaison Team member can build a working relationship.

And that is where real prevention begins.

Safer cities are built through connection, consistency and trust. They are built when the people tasked with keeping order are part of the life of the place rather than simply stationed at its edges. They are built when someone knows the difference between a troubled young person, a vulnerable individual in need of support and a repeat offender testing the limits. That sort of judgment does not come from a passing presence. It comes from being there, day after day, and becoming known.

This is not about being softer than security. It is about being smarter.

Hobart should be a city where people feel safe to work, shop, visit and spend time. It should also be a city that responds to disorder with intelligence, confidence and humanity. The Safer Hobart Liaison Team offers exactly that. By building relationships with the locals, the regulars and those who populate the city each day, Safety Liaison Team members reduce anonymity, increase accountability and help prevent trouble before it takes root.

In the end, that is the point.

Anonymous spaces invite bad behaviour. Known spaces discourage it.

And that is why this is a smarter way to keep Hobart safe.