Sandringham electorate
Brad ROWSWELL (Sandringham) (14:50): (254) My constituency question is addressed to the Minister for Police, and I ask: will the Andrews Labor government commit to providing more police resources to address the increasing instances of crime in Mentone and across the Bayside and Kingston local government areas? Both traders and residents have contacted me sharing their personal accounts, including witnessing violence and assault by a group of young offenders, attempted home invasion and drug deals, as well as the theft and damage of private property. Many have shared with me that they no longer feel safe walking near the shopping precinct for fear of being attacked. It is evident that more local police resources are needed and should be dedicated to fighting this crime given that criminal incidents in our local community have increased by almost 18 per cent this past year. Given this recent rise in criminal activity, especially amongst young offenders, I urge the minister to address these concerns raised by my local community and commit to allocating extra police resources as a matter of urgency.