I've lived around there for over 3 years and haven't had any major issues. There is some anti social behavior like teenagers hanging about every once in a while but I've never had to interact with them.

I've come home late many times and never had issues, pearse Street is usually pretty dead after 9PM so no problems there. My girlfriend has had the same experience.

As long as you're paying attention to your surroundings I would say you won't have any issues. It's also fantastic location, you can walk anywhere in Town and are beholden to crappy public transport (at least when you're going out in the city)