Wednesday, 30 October 2024

 Gaelle BROAD (Northern Victoria) (12:55): (1197) My question is to the Minister for Police on behalf of residents who are very concerned about increasing crime and cars being stolen in Bendigo and surrounding areas. I spoke with a lady whose family was asleep at home when their house was broken into and their car stolen. She said that detectives are beyond frustrated as teens go to court, are let off and are back on the streets within 24 hours, stealing again. Every day cars are being stolen, and police do not have the resources to keep up. Some offenders are just 14 years of age and drive at high speeds. Their reckless behaviour is putting others at risk. If a car is found, it is often damaged beyond repair. This week I saw burnout tyre marks on a main residential street in Flora Hill right in front of people’s homes. The Stolen Cars Melbourne Facebook page has over 83,000 followers, with countless posts about cars and trailers being stolen, including another vehicle stolen from Kangaroo Flat station. The Labor government weakened bail laws in March this year, and with over 1000 vacancies in Victoria Police and police from regional areas being called to assist with rising protests in Melbourne, what is the state government doing to address this issue?