MARCH 21, 2018 \ STARWEEKLY.COM.AU
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The way we were Wyndham’s population has now overtaken that of the Greater Geelong municipality, making it the second-largest city in the state, but back in the 1920s the shire of Werribee was home to only a few thousand people. According to the Victorian Municipal Directory and Gazetteer: Melbourne of 1927, about 7500 people lived in the 1927 shire area during the early ‘20s. Nowadays, Wyndham’s population has topped 250,186 residents, according to population experts .id Consulting. Watton Street of the 1920s is a far cry from the bustling main street it is today. Imagine ambling down the street in your horse-drawn buggy or T-model Ford. Businesses at the time included Douglas’ Cafe, Lowman’s Fruit and Confectionery Mart or L.J. Jelliss’ paint store. You can take a walk down memory lane and get a snapshot of Wyndham’s past thanks to the State Library Victoria online digital archive. It features hundreds of historical photos of Werribee and Point Cook. Watton Street, Werribee, circa 1920-1954. (Rose Stereograph Co. State Library Victoria, www.slv.vic.gov.au)
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back in time: Pages 18-19
Wyndham crime rates fall By Alesha Capone The number of crimes reported to police in Wyndham has dropped to a three-year low, according to the latest data from the Crime Statistics Agency. Statistics released last week reveal that police responded to a total of 14,131 crimes in Wyndham last year – 8.78 per cent lower than the 15,373 crimes recorded in Wyndham during 2016. In 2015, 14,331 incidents were reported to police. Thefts, down from 5961 offences to 4632 offences; burglaries and break and enters (1867 to 1472); property damage (1151 offences to
1137); arson (130 offences to 83); and drug crimes (673 to 650 offences) all decreased in Wyndham between 2016 and last year. Crimes which rose in Wyndham for the same period included assaults and related offences (up from 1179 offences to 1305 offences), sexual crimes (from 244 to 329) and weapons and explosives crimes (from 379 offences to 395). Wyndham’s Acting Police Inspector Jason Templar said the crime rate represented an equivalent of 6151 crimes for every 100,000 residents. In comparison, the Maribyrnong municipality recorded the equivalent of 9133
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crimes for every 100,000 residents, Brimbank was 8437 crimes for every 100,000 residents, Melton 7420 crimes for every 100,000 residents and Hobsons Bay 6437 crimes for every 100,000 residents. Acting Inspector Templar described the latest statistics as an “outstanding” result for Wyndham. “It’s the safest municipality to live in, in the western suburbs,” he said. “The members at Werribee and Wyndham North stations are dedicated to reducing crime in the area and have worked tirelessly to drive crime down across the past 12 months. “I’m very happy with the result.”
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Acting Inspector Templar said Wyndham police had contributed to the drop in crime by adopting a “more pro-active approach” to policing. He said this involved officers patrolling in high-risk locations such as CBDs, shopping centres and train stations. “It’s more about focusing on identifying areas where we need to have a visible presence to deter crime, rather than just responding to crime,” he said. He said police were also involving the community in policing, through regular pop-up police station events and Coffee With a Cop sessions.