HIGH STREET BUSINESSES UNDER SIEGE AFTER A SPATE OF BURGLARIES.

Business owners and residents of Nagambie are on high alert following a number of break-ins and attempted burglaries in the High Street business district with the latest taking place on Sunday May 7.

The 6 burglaries allegedly took place between the hours of 3.30am and 5am. Two offenders allegedly forced entry into each business taking cash and causing damage to the properties.

One business owner was asleep upstairs during the alleged break in, leaving her unsettled and overwhelmed. Another business was a little more fortunate with the intruders unable to release the locking mechanism on the door and moved on in frustration.

Video surveillance systems situated at various businesses along High Street have been able to assist authorities but community members and business owners are considering what action can be put in place to help put a stop to further burglaries and to put the community at ease. It has been suggested that more flexibility in policing hours could help to prevent crime in Nagambie as criminal opportunities increase when there is no visible police presence.

One business owner said, “We need a police presence overnight to put these people off from coming near our shops. It is common knowledge that the police are not on duty overnight in Nagambie, it’s not hard to predict when burglaries will take place,” he said.

“This is not a first occurrence, there have been many burglaries or attempted burglaries over the last few years – it’s frightening,” added another.

Business owners and residents are reminded and encouraged to remain vigilant and to ensure their property is secured at the end of each day.

If you do see anything suspicious, please report it to the police.

Keeping Your Community Safe

Everyone can play a role in keeping themselves and their community safe by keeping an eye out for suspicious activity and reporting it to Crime Stoppers.

Suspicious activity may be...

· Any strangers or unknown cars on your street.

· A person looking into a home or motor vehicle through the windows or trying to open the windows or doors.

· Loud or unusual noises like a dog barking, people yelling, or alarm sounds.

· Someone walking up driveways for no apparent reason.

· Cars parks in unusual positions.

· Anything that seems out of the ordinary.

· What can the community share with Crime Stoppers Victoria?

· CCTV footage of suspicious activity.

· The time and day when you saw it.

· A description of the person (age, height, hair colour, or clothing).

· A description of the vehicle (including the registration number, make, model, colour, and any distinguishing features like dents or stickers).

Top Five Home Security Tips

Opportunistic thieves often break into unlocked or vacant homes to steal cars. Stolen vehicles may be used to commit further offences and be damaged, destroyed or never recovered.

1. Make sure your house is visible from the street so passersby and neighbours can detect any suspicious activity.

2. Keep all keys, including spares, in a secure place – never leave keys in your car.

3. Keep your car locked while driving, park your car in a locked garage if possible – or park in your driveway or a well-lit area if they are preferred alternatives.

4. Bring in your bins and collect mail regularly so your home looks lived in – ask a neighbour to bring your bin in or collect your mail if you are away for a while

5. Consider additional security measures such as security screen doors, sensor lights, a monitored alarm system and overt CCTV

The Community Voice is a free community newspaper published by Go Nagambie on a fortnightly basis. The Community Voice has an average fortnightly circulation of 2000 Anyone interested in obtaining a copy of the Community Voice can collect one from the following circulation points: Nagambie Visitors Information Centre, Nagambie Newsagency, Nagambie Iga, Nagambie Post Office, Nagambie HealthCare – (for resident collection), Kelvin Grove Village (for resident collection), Nagambie Leisure Park, Avenel Post Office.

What we do

Go Nagambie is the promotional name for the regions incorporated Chamber of Commerce – Nagambie Lakes Tourism and Commerce Inc.

Our vision is to make Nagambie, a premier regional centre for liveability, investment, visitation and events, with our focus being to unashamedly promote Nagambie and the surrounding regions through the support of our local community and businesses.

If you have any queries relating to Go Nagambie and/or memberships on offer, please contact Sissy Hoskin on 0419 627 276 or email executiveofficernltc@gmail.com

There are exciting times ahead for Nagambie in terms of economic and tourism development and we hope you will join us as we continue to grow.

The Go Nagambie committee meets every 4 to 6 weeks with their Annual General Meeting usually held in October each year, gonagambie.com.au

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The Committee

President Lee Rowland

President: Lee Rowland

Vice President Belinda Beer

Vice President: Belinda Beer

Secretary Kellie Giannarelli

Treasurer Kerri Newnham

Secretary: Melanie Likos

Executive Officer Sissy Hoskin

Treasurer: Bruce Minchinton

General Committee

Executive Officer: Sissy Hoskin

John Beresford

General Committee:

Chrissy McNiell

John Beresford

Rosie Metherall

Rosie Metherall

Rob Gardner

Steve McCoach

Steve McCoach

Kerryn Harrison

Malcolm Little

Peter McKenzie

Daniella Paidi

Trevor Forbes