Page 880 - Week 03 - Thursday, 30 March 2006
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In early March 2006 there was an early morning knife assault on the grandson of a man who owns many of the shops in the area. The young man was held up at knifepoint and had his mobile phone stolen. A description of the assailant was given to police. Again, as at 18 March, no progress report has given to the family by the police. I am also advised that the description of that assailant, except for his long hair, fits the description of the knife assault and hold-up of 10 March 2006 in the supermarket itself.
I will now go to the Erindale shops in Gartside Street. As mentioned previously, the proximity of the Red Hill public housing complex to the Red Hill shopping centre is unique to that area. However, shop owners everywhere feel that some groups in disadvantaged communities present their own social challenges that can impact on shopping centre and suburban residential security. Clearly a whole-of-government approach, including the need to seriously engage with parents of recidivist youth offenders, is necessary.
This is not just a police issue; it is a broader social issue. But it is the police and it is the shopkeepers who have to pick up the pieces. The Erindale shops, like many centres, are facing up to continued break-ins or attempted break-ins. Youth intimidation of elderly shoppers is also present there. Levels of vandalism of shops and vehicles at the Erindale shops in Gartside Street are similar to those at Red Hill. The most recent incidents have pushed shop owners to outrage and frustration. The boldness of the serial smash and grab raids in recent weeks has confirmed the feeling by shop owners that the lack of a police presence has created a vacuum into which emboldened criminals have stepped.
I will give a couple of examples of the incidents faced there. At Lucky’s Asian grocery shop there have been many incidents of intimidation and many attempted break-ins. There have been numerous incidents of break-ins and vandalism at Swimart. Shop owners are now unable to guarantee insurance coverage due to the volume of claims.
There have been delays in police response times. The owner first reported a recent break-in at 5.00 am. Upon arrival at the shop he found windows broken and items stolen. He called the police again at 8.45 am. The police finally attended at 9 am, allegedly due to only one patrol being available within the Tuggeranong Valley that night.
There have been break-ins and vandalism at the Turkish restaurant. Patrons and management suffer constant intimidation by unruly youth. The mechanical workshop close by, the bottle shop, Dominos and the Thai restaurant experience regular break-ins or attempted break-ins, vandalism and theft.
At midnight on Friday, 24 March two carloads of drunken youths, who by the way knew each other, engaged in a melee outside the Mobil petrol station. They then turned on customers, driving all customers away from the petrol station. The real estate agent at Erindale says he has never seen police patrolling the area and acting proactively. He has not seen a police officer on the beat for a very, very long time. That is a concern.
While a number of shopping centres with more problems than others come to mind, such as Calwell, Charnwood and Monash shops, I just want to single out Richardson shops as a centre that I feel is under regular threat. I regret to say that the Richardson shops have a similar, perhaps even greater, criminal problem in their precinct than Red Hill shops. I
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