Geelong
Friday, 7 November, 2014
TIME TO KISS AND MAKEUP FINALLY FRIDAY
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GREAT IDEAS FOR HEALTHY LIVING P28-29 Hope’s alive in Norlane event
HIGH HOPES: Darren Hannah amid a picture exhibition featuring at tomorrow’s Hopefest. 130202 Picture: Reg Ryan
By JOHN VAN KLAVEREN WORDS like hope and transformation are part of the Norlane conversation again but it has little to do with the millions of dollars being spent on renewed housing. A group of Norlane residents are instead spearheading their own community development program with a third annual Hopefest public festival at Norlane Baptist Church this Saturday. “We hope it helps break through the perceptions,� said single mum of five, Debbie Carroll. “Life in a suburb like Norlane is what you make of it.� Ms Carroll became involved in Hopefest after receiving assistance from the church following a serious car accident 12 months ago. “The community here really helped me through and supported me. It opened my children’s eyes and made them appreciate being supported. “Two of them are now leaders, helping other kids. It’s done them the world of good. “It wouldn’t have happened without this environment.� Fellow resident Liz Wyatt said she had started seeing change in Norlane after living in the suburb since she was 14. “Norlane still needs a clean-up and we need to get rid of the hoons and their anti-social behaviour but the younger kids are enjoying the programs they run here and it works,� Ms Wyatt said. Continued Page 2
Ice burgs shock police By NOEL MURPHY ICE-ADDICTED thieves are becoming bolder as a spate of daylight burglaries, aggravated burglaries and car thefts hits Geelong, according to police. Ice junkies are targeting wealthier suburbs such as Newtown, offenders are becoming younger and crimes linked to users seeking quick cash for the highly-addictive drug are rising, police told the Independent yesterday. Acting Detective Sergeant
Daylight raids on affluent neighbourhoods Anthony Henderson, of Geelong CIU burglary crew, said ice users as young as 15 had been involved in incidents involving soft targets such as elderly people in their homes at night. Junkies were targetting jewellery, cash, computers and anything they could sell fast, he said. “I wouldn’t say it’s confined to just your Newtowns - there’s been an increase in daytime burgs across the whole Geelong area,�
Act Det Sgt Henderson said. “They’ve been targeting Newtown but also Highton, for instance, especially for jewellery and it’s still continuing. “It’s unbelievable, I’ve never seen anything like it. We’re getting a lot of people who previously had no criminal involvement committing crimes -- burgs, stealing cars, theft from cars to get money to purchase ice.
“A lot more youths are on it we’re finding. We did a night shift this week where there were three kids breaking into cars at three in the morning who’d never been in trouble before. “They took a garage remote from an unlocked car in a driveway, broke into the house and stole the keys to $130,000 of cars - a Lexus and a Volvo.� Act Det Sgt Henderson urged households to increase their vigi-
lance and security. He cited cases in which residents left back doors open, providing easy access for criminals casing homes from rear lanes. Thieves entered an Aberdeen St home through a bathroom window in a brazen daylight robbery on Wednesday to steal jewellery, cash and devices, he said. “Last week at Geelong West an elderly male victim was con-
fronted by three offenders in his house at three in in morning - they were 15, 16 and 20 years old and that was after two earlier burglaries. Fortunately, they ran past him.� Acting Det Sgt Henderson warned residents to lock their homes, be wary of unusual activity and to phone police on 000 immediately if concerned. He cautioned the public against approaching suspicious characters, warning that ice users were potentially dangerous and increasingly bold.
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