Tuesday, 18 February 2025

 Wendy LOVELL (Northern Victoria) (18:01): (1413) My adjournment matter is for the Minister for Police. The action that I seek is for the minister to act urgently to secure the safety of Donnybrook residents by instructing police to increase patrols in the suburb at night and to liaise with the local neighbourhood watch group on crime prevention initiatives. Across Victoria crime is up and gangs operate with impunity. Every week we hear of another tobacco store being burnt down, another gangland shooting or another machete attack or home invasion. Repeat offenders are constantly released on bail only to immediately offend again within days or even hours. Victorians are scared, but the Allan Labor government is offering no help.

In the City of Whittlesea criminal incidents increased by 28 per cent in 2024 compared to the previous year. I have been in contact with constituents of mine who live in Olivine and other estates along Donnybrook Road. They are living in fear in their own homes as break-ins, car thefts and burglaries continue to rise. Suspicious cars lurk in the streets of the isolated suburb at night looking for easy opportunities to steal and destroy. Thieves with torches look inside utes and trucks, searching for tools to snatch. Homes have been broken into while the owners are overseas or on holiday, and some while the owners are still at home. Criminals are cutting the electricity to homes in order to turn off the security cameras and prevent the criminals being recorded and identified. Two women were recently terrified when attackers tried to smash through the front door while the women held the door shut. I can only imagine how frightened they would have been.

Residents say that mobile coverage in the area is terrible, and if they can get through to police, officers take anywhere from 30 to 60 minutes to arrive in response to a call, but by then it is too late and the thieves have left in search of new victims. Despite their fears, residents are working together in neighbourhood watch groups to keep a lookout on their street and alert each other to any apparent danger. I am a member of their community WhatsApp group, and there are some nights, including last night, when I get little sleep as I monitor the fear of my constituents, who are warning their neighbours of suspicious and criminal activity as they wait for police to respond. I am worried that if the government does not act soon, some residents may get desperate and try to take matters into their own hands by confronting the criminals, with possible tragic consequences. As an interim measure, police patrols need to be stepped up in the area and the state government needs to consider investing in a new police station for the Donnybrook and Kalkallo area, but the real problem that must be addressed is the government’s crime settings, which are soft on crime and only encouraging criminal activity.