Thursday, 6 February 2025

 Ann-Marie HERMANS (South-Eastern Metropolitan) (17:58): (1397) My adjournment is to the Minister for Police. The action I seek, Minister, is that you address the safety concerns of all Victorians by providing Victoria Police with the necessary resources to keep our community safe. The Community Advocacy Alliance has called out rapidly rising concerns, arguing that in Melbourne alone there are up to 10 communities hiring private security firms to patrol their streets because they feel police are just not available to do it adequately. Residents of affluent suburbs in Melbourne are hiring private security guards because they do not feel safe. As reported, the residents of Middle Park are hiring private security guards to patrol their neighbourhoods so they can feel safe on their streets. Other private security companies have already been patrolling areas in Werribee, Wyndham Vale, Camberwell, Hawthorn, Toorak, Brighton, Caulfield and Balwyn for months, which raises a huge concern. What about the communities like the ones I represent in Dandenong, Frankston, Narre Warren South, Narre Warren North, Cranbourne, Mordialloc and Carrum Downs who, for example, cannot afford to pay to feel safe?

In my electorate, as I have talked about several times this week, crime is increasing at a terrifying rate. In Carrum Downs crimes against the person have increased by 20 per cent in 12 months. In Frankston South burglaries increased 82 per cent in 12 months. In Mordialloc theft of a motor vehicle increased by 48 per cent in 12 months. In Narre South burglaries increased at 77 per cent in 12 months. In nearby Pakenham property offences have increased by 34 per cent in 12 months. And in the area of Cranbourne burglaries have increased by 700 per cent in 12 months – 700 per cent.

The people in the south-east pay their taxes – taxes which pay for a police force that has a primary mandate to protect the community and keep people safe. We in Victoria are now being forced to create a class system based on who can pay to be looked after and feel safe in their homes and on their streets. This is not a Third World country, and yet residents are frightened and forced to take the extreme measure of paying for private security patrols because they have lost faith in our policing system. This is not a criticism of Victoria Police, who are battling this government to provide them with a wage negotiation, for example, which has been going on for years. Even the Fair Work Commission has walked away from this long-running pay dispute, advising the Chief Commissioner of Victoria Police in his application to resolve the dispute.

Victoria Police is forced to defend its crime statistics because of the pressure this government has put the police force under. But we know that brazen home invasions are now becoming a reality, and it is happening everywhere in metropolitan Melbourne. In fact everywhere I go I hear stories of people that can tell you about home invasions, car thefts, burglaries and people that have been stabbed and injured. It is just out of control in the south-east. Minister, will you improve resources for Victoria Police so that people are not forced into taking the law into their own hands?