Star Weekly - Wyndham - 24th March 2021

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COVID drives down thefts By Alesha Capone Criminal offences recorded in Wyndham increased by 9.1 per cent in 2020, although burglaries and theft fell significantly as COVID-19 regulations restricted people’s movements. Victorian Crime Statistics Agency data released last week stated there were 18,284 offences reported to police in Wyndham during 2020, compared to 16,761 offences in 2019. More than 1370 offences related to COVID-19 restriction breaches in Wyndham. Inspector Brooke Walker said that during 2020, robberies decreased in Wyndham by 34 per cent, largely a “by-product of decreased offender movement and increased guardianship of property during the pandemic”. Burglaries and break and enters fell from 1337 offences in 2019 to 943 in 2020, while the number of thefts recorded dropped from 6311 to 5881 offences. Residential aggravated burglaries increased slightly from 135 in 2019 to 160 offences in 2020, but residential non-aggravated burglaries fell from 824 to 516 offences. “Since the easing of restrictions, police have noticed an increase in burglaries and car thefts however they still remain low,” Inspector Walker said. “We want to reassure the community that despite last year’s low numbers, police will continue to work hard to prevent and disrupt this kind of offending. “We continue to focus on known prolific and recidivist car thieves and burglars … Based on intelligence, police will continue to proactively task officers to patrol known hot spots at key times when we know this type of offending is likely to occur.” Homicide and related offences rose from four in 2019 to eight in 2020, while drug-related crime rose from 826 to 994 offences and sexual offences increased from 451 to 667. Assaults and related offences rose from 1471 in 2019 to 1664 in the 12 months to December, 2020. Family violence accounted for a majority of assaults, increasing from 904 to 1026 offences, with other types of assaults rising from 498 to 558. Overall, there was a 16.7 per cent rise in family violence offences recorded in Wyndham. People affected by family violence can contact the Safe Steps Family Violence Response Centre’s 24/7 phone line on 1800 015 188 or email safesteps@safesteps.org.au

Time for some colour Bollywood dance performances, carnival rides and market stalls will feature at a Holi Festival to be held at Tarneit Gardens Shopping Centre at the weekend. The event will also include free face-painting for children, food trucks, a DJ, roving entertainment and colour throwing. A fireworks display will be held at 9pm. The event is being presented by the shopping centre and supported by Multicultural Events Melbourne Inc (MEMI), which aims to bring communities together. Holi is a traditional Hindu festival, also known as the festival of colours or the festival of love. MEMI held its previous two annual Holi Festivals in Williams Landing, during 2019 and 2020. MEMI representative Pradeep Tiwari said the festival was being held at Tarneit Gardens this year to help support local traders in their post-COVID recovery. The Holi Festival will be held from 12-9pm on Sunday. The event is registered with the Department of Health and Human Services. All attendees must book a free ticket in order to attend and check-in upon arrival using the QR code at the entry point. The number of attendees will be limited. Register for a ticket at: https://bit. ly/3qZeksY Alesha Capone Georgia and Pranita are ready for the Holi Festival. (Joe Mastroianni). 231733_05

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Star Weekly - Wyndham - 24th March 2021 by Star Weekly - Issuu