Hannah Hammoud
Brimbank council will look at ways to improve community safety following a number of shocking crimes in recent months.
Cr Thomas O’Reilly called for a safety report at the council meeting on September 19, following a number of incidents that have occurred in Brimbank over the past few months related to youth crime.
Cr O’Reilly said the report will allow councillors to learn more about what is being done to address the situation, note any gaps and to provide strategic suggestions on how community safety could be improved.
Cr Maria Kerr expressed her support for safety report, but was interrupted by disruptive members of the public gallery.
Deputy mayor Ranka Rasic pleaded with those seated in the gallery to stop disturbing the meeting.
The meeting was adjourned for more than 10 minutes before resuming, only to be paused again a minute later for the same reason, before subsequently returning nine minutes later once some members of the gallery followed orders to leave the meeting.
Cr Kerr said she has been advocating to the state government for more police resources in Brimbank and the west since 2016.
“More specifically, floating the idea of a police hub at Water Gardens station. This is a location where youth crime is concentrated. We also need more CCTV in problematic locations, more lighting and of course more funding from the state government for more police in our already stretched police force in the western metro area,” she said.
“… I call on the state government to stop ignoring our communities’ safety.”
A Victoria Police spokesperson said police are focused on disrupting and dismantling youth gangs.
“Brimbank police are investing significant energy into intercepting young people who are yet to become firmly embedded within gangs as soon as they come on our radar and diverting them to support agencies,” the spokesperson said.
“As part of Operation Alliance, police are also regularly knocking on their doors for bail compliance checks, saturating locations where we know they frequent and are likely to offend and gathering further intelligence on their activities and their associates.”
A state government spokesperson said the allocation of police resources is a matter for the Victoria Police Chief Commissioner.
