Eastern Victoria Region
Ms BURNETT-WAKE (Eastern Victoria) (12:29): (1637) My constituency question is for Minister for Crime Prevention. Last week I visited several businesses in Main Street, Pakenham, and spoke to their owners, including Vanille Bistro Cafe and All About Chocolates & Lollies. Each small business I visited raised the issue of the prevalence of crime. Every shop owner that I spoke to advised there was no CCTV in the main shopping precinct and felt that if there was it would reduce crime. The issues ranged from shoplifting to property damage. One shop had been rammed several times in the last six months, which has required the replacement of its windows. Crime statistics from September 2021 indicate that just 33.9 per cent of criminal incidents resulted in charges being laid in Cardinia shire. In 44.7 per cent of cases, which is almost half, the crime went unsolved. On behalf of the small business owners in Pakenham that I spoke with last week, will the Minister for Crime Prevention and the government commit to installing CCTV in the Main Street, Pakenham, shopping strip?