Tuesday, 5 March 2024

Lang Lang community safety

Melina BATH (Eastern Victoria) (02:22): (752) My adjournment matter is for the Minister for Crime Prevention and Minister for Police, and it relates to improving community safety and policing in the town of Lang Lang. Responding to the community’s needs for improved public safety, the action I seek from the minister is to instigate crime prevention initiatives, including an increased police presence in the region and in the town and the installation of CCTV in public areas in conjunction with the local shire.

Much to the dismay of locals, the police presence in Lang Lang has been stripped down to the bone under this government. Nine years ago Lang Lang’s valued one-person police station was reduced to one day a week, and even that was part-time. Residents and local traders have raised their community concerns recently with me about the loss of this one-person station, and I thank Mr Brian Candy for organising this important meeting.

There have been criminal and antisocial disturbances in the commercial area of Lang Lang, drug crime, break-ins, vandalism and road safety issues, and even the police station has been a target in that area. Residents are justifiably concerned. Crime statistics for both Lang Lang and nearby Koo Wee Rup feature in the top five towns in the Cardinia shire, and both towns have had their one-man police station removed. The population of Lang Lang has grown by 73 per cent since 2016 and is forecast to grow by 120 per cent over the next 16 years. Crime stats in Lang Lang of 214 criminal offences are up by 80 per cent, spearheaded by crimes against the person, which are up by 228 per cent.

At a recent community safety forum Victoria Police acknowledged the concerns of locals. If there is an incident at night, VicPol is dispatched often from Emerald, 1 hour away. As captured in the Cardinia shire draft livability plan, the residents told the council that improving safety across the shire is of vital importance. It is well known that CCTV is effective in situational crime prevention at a local level, and in advocating for her community councillor Kaye Cameron has twice called for CCTV in Lang Lang, but their budget is tight again, as in all our local shire councils. Currently the shire does have CCTV in Pakenham and Koo Wee Rup monitored by VicPol in Pakenham and Dandenong, so this system certainly can be expanded into regions. Again I call on the minister to find the funding in the May budget to improve these safety measures, including increasing that police presence and the installation of CCTV in public areas.