NEWS DESK
Crime gangs, carjackings ‘unacceptable’ Neil Walker neil@baysidenews.com.au CRIMES by youths across Melbourne and its suburbs mean people increasingly feel unsafe in their own homes according to state Liberal opposition leader Matthew Guy. Mr Guy visited Seaford last week and said it is unacceptable that young offenders are released on bail, especially for violent crimes including home invasions and carjackings. Some of those released show no respect for the law and reoffend upon release. “We need to get tougher on law and order in this state by changing the bail laws, particularly for juvenile offend-
ers who can’t now be held,” he told The News. “You don’t give a second chance – whoever the person is, whatever their background is – to people who are invading people’s houses at two and three in the morning as a gang, leaving wives and kids holed up in a bathroom terrified and the husband to fight it out with a baseball bat. “This is not Johannesburg, this is Melbourne. This is happening now.” He accused the Labor state government of “going soft on crime” and not giving police the resources needed to combat crime. “Police need more resources. When we were in government we gave an extra 1900 new police on the beat and if we come to government again it will be
at least that plus more. “We put in 900 protective service officers for every railway station in the metro network and again that will be added to if we come to government. “We will change the bail laws so juvenile offenders can be held. We will introduce carjacking laws so the people who commit these crimes get a penalty that fits the crime.” Victoria Legal Aid’s executive director of criminal law Helen Fatouros said last month that about 40 per cent of youth offences are committed by about 5 per cent of young offenders suggesting a hardcore group of repeat offenders are responsible for a staggering number of crimes in Victoria. Premier Daniel Andrews in March pledged to give police any resources
Unexpected visit
Bailed boys’ crime spree SIX boys from the Frankston area – one aged just 11 – were last week arrested and charged with multiple aggravated burglaries, thefts of cars and committing offences while on bail. Sergeant Andrew Payne, of Dandenong CIU, said the offences occurred in the early hours of Wednesday 27 July in the Cranbourne West area. The Caucasian boys, who were all described as “friends and acquaintances”, range in age from 11-16. They are from Seaford, aged 11, Langwarrin, 13, Frankston, 14, Skye, 15, Frankston North, 15, and Frankston, 16. Four of the boys, including the 11-year-old, were remanded in cus-
No second chances: Matthew Guy says violent offenders should not be bailed.
KRA grant money returned to sender
NO-ONE was injured when a motorist crashed into the front yard of a house on the corner of Scotch Parade and Thames Promenade, Chelsea, last week, after a collision with another car. Chelsea police said the female driver of a Honda Odyssey “hit the accelerator instead of the brake” before ploughing through the fence and ending up against the side of the house, 3.30pm. Neither the woman, 42, nor the driver of the other car, a Suzuki, were injured in the accident which was attended by members of Chelsea police, Chelsea SES, Aspendale ambulance and Edithvale CFA. Both vehicles needed to be towed. Picture: Gary Sissons
Stephen Taylor steve@baysidenews.com.au
needed to tackle gang and youth crime. “Victorians don’t want any excuses and I will offer none,” he said in a press conference after Crime Statistics Agency figures revealed an annual 8.1 per cent rise in crime across the state. “Instead what I will say to every Victorian, and indeed, first among them, to the Chief Commissioner of Victoria Police Graham Ashton, if you need additional powers you will get them. “If you need additional resources, you will get them.” Mr Guy said Melbourne is not “the Wild West”. “We’re living in civilised, modern Melbourne and people have a right to feel safe in our city. If the government won’t hire enough police to get the job done, we will.”
tody until their children’s court appearances, which have yet to be determined. A 16-year-old, of Frankston, has been released pending further inquiries. Frankston and Dandenong detectives in the Southern Metropolitan Regional Crime Team, part of Operation Comas, arrested the boys in an ongoing crime investigation later on the Wednesday the burglaries and car thefts occurred. The boys, who are not believed to be gang members, allegedly stole a Range River and a Hyundai sedan, as well as a laptop, wallet and credit cards, after breaking into houses and stealing car keys. The cars and credit cards have since been recovered, but not the laptop or wallets. The boys were arrested after the
Hyundai was spotted in Langwarrin on Wednesday. On the same day, two 16-year-olds, of Frankston and Cranbourne East, were arrested on theft of motor car charges and remanded to appear at a children’s court at a later date. Victoria Police has escalated its response to aggravated burglaries and carjackings across the state. Operation Cosmas was rolled out in May drawing together investigators under the umbrella of Crime Command. Detectives in each region have been allocated additional resources to prevent, deter and investigate aggravated burglaries and carjackings. Day and night patrols are being conducted at high-risk locations to prevent offences taking place. Since the operation began police have made more than 80 arrests.
A STOUSH over a council grant to a community group has seen $200 returned by the Kingston Residents Association to Kingston Council. Council officers approved a Quick Response Grant requested by the KRA “to print and mail out newsletters” but recommended an application for $2000 be reduced to $200 “to allow opportunities for other individuals or groups to access grant funds”. KRA president Trevor Shewan, a former Kingston councillor, returned the $200 grant to council “because we feel the majority councillors have insulted us by reducing our grant from the $2000 requested without providing any valid reason”. Councillors decided to defer a decision on voting through the grant to the KRA in April before finally agreeing to release the $200 in funding at May’s public council meeting (‘Lower grant for ‘activist group’, The News 15/6/16). In a letter from Mr Shewan to council, seen by The News, the group’s president says he is unhappy at “aspersions cast on KRA as a community organisation and on me personally as KRA president”. Cr Paul Peulich called the KRA an “activist group” and questioned whether ratepayers should fund an organisation that had, in the past, appealed against council decisions at the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal. “It’s OK to go against council deci-
sions but in this case it’s clear for local political purposes,” Cr Peulich said. Funding to the KRA, under a councillors’ discretionary ward funds grants program now abolished across Victoria by the state government, was the subject of legal action by Cr David Eden against former Mordialloc Liberal MP Lorraine Wreford. Ms Wreford claimed in Parliament in late 2013 that the KRA is a Labor Party front “propped up” by ratepayers’ funds and later apologised to Cr Eden over comments made about his $1500 ward funds donation to the group originally founded by his father Nick Eden. Cr Eden then stopped defamation legal proceedings against Ms Wreford. Crs Tamara Barth, Steve Staikos and Rosemary West also allocated ward grants to the KRA under the now axed ward funds system. Mr Shewan has been advised by the mayor that she cannot order remarks by Cr Peulich made at April and May’s council meetings to be withdrawn since no point of order was raised at the time. “However, as you would be aware, parliamentary privilege does not extend to council meetings,” Cr Bearsley wrote in a letter to the KRA president. “Therefore, councillors are liable for their actions or statements made during a council meeting, which it is your right to pursue.” Neil Walker
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Chelsea Mordialloc Mentone News 3 August 2016
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