NEWS DESK
Burgled couple wake in fright Stephen Taylor steve@mpnews.com.au A MT MARTHA couple woke in fright to discover “three or four” young men stealthily ransacking their home on The Esplanade, 3.30am, Saturday 22 August. The men, described as Maori and African and in their late teens to early 20s, were using mobile phones as torches to roam from room to room, stealing items, including jewellery, from bedside tables. They gained entry to the house by breaking into the couple’s car and using a remote control device to get in through the garage. Detective Senior Sergeant Nick Vallas, of Mornington police, said the startled couple jumped out of bed when they saw the lights and were “fairly frightened”. When the intruders realised the occupants were awake they fled without confrontation, taking jewellery valued at $20,000. Mornington police arrived on the scene within minutes and arrested a 24-yearold Hampton Park man standing out front beside what they initially believed to be a stolen Holden station wagon. The man was arrested and interviewed and found to have been drinking. He claimed he had been dropped outside the house by friends and denied any knowledge of the burglary. The car was later found to be owned by a relative who told police the man “should not have been in possession of it”.
A short time later a car was reported broken into in Jasmin Av, with witnesses reporting seeing a Holden Captiva nearby. Police checks found the car had been stolen and was fitted with false number plates. They gave chase “on a number of occasions” on the night, but were unable to intercept it. Police have been told not to engage in high speed pursuits unless a serious crime is involved. “We have got to be very careful when engaging in pursuits,” Detective Vallas said. “We know they [suspects] are prepared to travel at fast speeds to get down here. We have to ask ourselves if [a chase] is worth a stolen ring.” He said police were “following other avenues of inquiry and the Hampton Park man may be charged later”.
Unlocked cars raided THIEVES broke into eight cars parked at houses on Bentons and Dunns roads, Mt Martha, in a spate of overnight raids early Sunday morning last week. One car – a Subaru – was stolen and later recovered in Frankston North, while loose change was taken from the others. Detective Sergeant Jason Hocking, of Mornington CIU, said all the cars are believed to have been left unlocked. “We go on about it but people are still making it easy for thieves,” he said
Mission accomplished: Members of the Green Army who have completed six tasks on the Mornington Peninsula with supervisor Thomas Andrews (orange top) and Flinders MP Greg Hunt (right) are (not in order) Anthony Phillips, Ben Cox, Geoffrey Morphett, Jamie Uhrynowycz, Jethro Sallmann, Kellie Vella, Michaela Brown and Shane Kroon. Picture: Supplied
Army completes ‘green’ tasks THEY have been soldiering away for just on half a year and last week a team of the federal government’s Green Army stood confidently on the banks of Balcombe Creek, Mt Martha. It was the end of their time with the “army” and Environment Minister and Flinders MP, Greg Hunt was on hand to hear about their “overwhelmingly positive” feedback. “Many of the participants have already lined up jobs in the environmental sector or are continuing on with further studies to gain formal qualifications,” Mr Hunt said. The team had worked to “improve the natural environment” at Red Hill Community Park, Red Hill (planting and mulching); Baynes Road Reserve, Red Hill (removing weeds); Balcombe Estuary, Mt Martha
(removing weeds, planting); Red Hill Rail Trail (weeding, planting); Woods Reverse, Tuerong (weeding); and The Briars indigenous plant Nursery, Mt Martha (plant propagation). The Green Army team was under the direction of Conservation Volunteers Australia, hired as one of the $700 million program’s service providers. “These graduates have delivered real environmental benefits for the community and have also gained valuable practical training and experience to help them enhance their career opportunities,” Mr Hunt said. “The project has improved the condition of indigenous vegetation — reconnecting the landscape through weed control and revegetation across six sites on the peninsula.”
Mornington News 1 September 2015
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