Connecting people and communities Footscray, Yarraville, Braybrook
Incorporating Star Real Estate
Tuesday, 4 March, 2014
A Star News Group publication Phone: 9933 4800
No. 569 50c inc. GST
Call to action PAGE 4
Riding for a cause PAGE 5
Festive fun
CHARLES and Victoria streets were a hive of activity on Saturday when the Seddon Festival hit town. The streets were lined with stalls, a kids’ zone, food vendors and roving entertainers. Rebecca Barnard and Billy Miller headlined a list of performers that included international artists and comedy duo Perky and Fiddle, as well as a dazzling array of musicians and performers. Pictured above from left, Thomas, Picture: KRISTIAN SCOTT Hamish and Stephen enjoyed the fun. 115807
Assaults on rise By CHARLENE MACAULAY
Insp Long said it was very frustrating to see the increase in assaults, despite the amount of time and effort police already dedicate to keeping the community safe. “The difficulty is that many of the non-family violence assaults occur between people known to each other who, often as a result of excessive alcohol consumption or drug use, end up fighting each other,” he said. “These situations often result in serious injuries and are extremely difficult for us to police. “We have decided that we will be diverting more resources into our higher risk areas focusing on anti-social behaviour and drinking - which often end up
leading to assaults being committed,” Insp Long said. “This will further boost the level of community safety within the area and we also believe that this will have a flowon effect of reducing property crime. “So the message is clear - if you come into Maribyrnong looking to use drugs or drink excessively and cause trouble - you will be caught and you will be charged,” he said. “We have made some pretty significant gains ... that said, we still have a lot of work to do, particularly in relation to crimes against the person.”
PAGES 14-15
Russ in for Vics SPORT
Denture Repairs from $70 returned in 1hr* *Conditional on the type of repair method required.
FREE INITIAL CONSULTATION
DENTURE CARE CLINIC
8 Borrack Square, Altona North 9391 9998
1113833-DJ03-14
1086663-LN33-13
FOOTSCRAY Police has launched a new taskforce in a bid to stop the escalating number of assaults occurring across the City of Maribyrnong. Inspector Tony Long announced the introduction of the Westgate Safer Community Taskforce last week, which will include staff from Footscray supported by other resources. The task force will conduct highly visible patrol activities across the municipality, with a focus on preventing crimes against the person, such as assault. The announcement comes after new
Victoria Police statistics reveal rising levels of crimes against the person and assaults in the City of Maribyrnong for 2013. Overall crime dropped by 6.5 per cent, with significant decreases in drug offences (40.9 per cent), thefts from cars (34.1 per cent), car thefts (32.1 per cent) and robberies (21.6 per cent). On the flip side, crimes against the person rose by 16.7, with 771 assaults recorded between 1 January 2013 and 31 December, up 32.5 per cent from the previous year. Assaults excluding family violence jumped 27.2 per cent, with 533 offences recorded.
Healthy Body Healthy Mind
NEED CASH? TALK TO US NOW $500 TO $2000 •CarRepairs/Rego•Phone/PowerBills•Rental/DentalBills•OtherPurposes 6, 9 or 12 Month Payment Plans WAGE EARNERS & CENTRELINK CLIENTS WELCOME Mobile Service – We come to you! Fast Loan Appraisals – Affordable Repayments
Phone
9376 8236 Mobile 0408 203 487 www.actioncashloans.com.au
Business Hours: Mon–Fri 9:30am–5pm or leave a message
Australian Credit Licence No: 393092