Established in 1924 as the
proudly serving Brimbank and the North West
20 SEPTEMBER, 2022
2022 AFL Grand Final supporter posters inside Paddington in demand When news of Queen Elizabeth II’s death broke, an illustrated picture of her walking hand-in-hand with a recognisable, marmalade sandwich-loving bear began circulating on social media. Alongside the image were the words, ‘I’ve done my duties Paddington, please take me to my husband’. Since then, sales of the beloved, red-booted, bucket hat-adorned plush toy have skyrocketed at Keilor Park’s Aussie Toys Online*. “Paddingtons with little boots are what have been walking out the door,” manager Sarah Thomas said. “They are always popular at Aussie Toys Online, but we’ve seen an uptick and are selling 10 times more than we’d see in a month.” Ms Thomas said while the company ships Bluey costumes overseas, it was the first time Paddington bears were making their way as far as North Carolina in the United States. “To me, it’s something that we have here in Australia that is still very English. [The Queen] has always been there, and so has Paddington,” Ms Thomas said. *Aussie Toys Online is affiliated with Star Weekly. ■ More tributes: Page 8 Aussie Toys Online manager Sarah Thomas with the popular Paddington plushes. (Holly McGuinness)
Crime down in Brimbank By Laura Michell Brimbank’s crime rate continues to fall, with new data revealing a 14.8 per cent decrease in offences in the year to June. As reported by Star Weekly, the municipality’s crime rate reached a 10-year low in March, when 16,839 offences were recorded over the previous 12 months. Since then, the number of offences recorded has fallen by a further 2.7 per cent to 16,372. That figure is 14.8 per cent lower than in June, 2021, when the Crime Statistics Agency (CSA) reported
that 19,222 offences had been recorded over the previous 12 months. CSA data shows the drop in crime between June, 2021 and June this year, was driven by a 9.9 per cent decrease in thefts from a motor vehicle, falling from 2375 offences in June, 2021, to 2141 in June this year. Other theft offences fell 9 per cent to 1336 offences, while breaches of family violence orders fell 7 per cent to 1643. The data shows that the highest number of offences in the 12 moths to June, 2022, were recorded in St Albans (3691), although the
overall number of offences in the suburb was 21 per cent lower than June, 2021. Sunshine (2436 offences), Deer Park (1494), Sunshine West (1238) and Sunshine North (1217) rounded out the top five offence locations, although all the suburbs experienced a drop in crime. Despite the overall drop in offences, the municipality recorded an increase in homicides, from four in June, 2021, to 10 in June, 2022, and sexual offences which rose from 240 to 312 during the same period. Speaking last month, Sunshine acting senior
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sergeant Lauren Williams attributed the drop in crime to an increased police presence. She said programs such as Coffee with a Cop at Watergardens, Brimbank and Cairnlea Shopping Centres had helped reduce offending. Acting senior sergeant Williams encouraged people to secure their vehicle overnight in a bid to reduce thefts from motor vehicles, and to consider installing security cameras. “Not only do they act as a deterrent, these are invaluable in the detection and investigation of offences that may have been committed in the area,” she said.
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