By Gerald Lynch
A new Brimbank councillor and his neighbours feel there has been an uptick in crime in Sunshine North, sparked by drug and alcohol abuse in the community.
Harvester Ward councillor Daniel Kruk said crime in his street and surrounds has become out of control, with he and his neighbours at times fearing going outside.
“Most days of the week large trucks including semi-trailers can be observed stopping at these locations to collect drugs. While the community has spent considerable time reporting the incidents nothing has materially changed and we face an ever increasing risk of harm from unsafe driving, especially drivers under the influence of drink or drugs,” Cr Kruk said.
Cr Kruk said the lack of services around Sunshine have led him to take matters into his own hands.
“I do a sharps clean up once a month or so to remove hazards in my local area. On the most recent clean up we collected a significant amount of used needles,” he said.
“Walking around Sunshine North, many used needles and nangs can be found on nature strips and in car parks. As a community we need to come together to push for harm reduction and change on this multi-faceted issue so that we don’t see any more deaths.”
Brimbank recorded the second-highest heroin-related overdose deaths in 2023 with 14, a drop of five from 2022.
One way the community has been brought together is through the Harvester Neighbourhood Crime Watch – Sunshine and Sunshine North group on Facebook, started up by Cr Kruk’s wife Sarah.
“We set up the group right at the end of my campaign,” Cr Kruk said.
“Sarah saw posts about package thefts and rising crime in bigger community groups and realised we needed something local. This way, we could address our neighbourhood’s specific issues.”
Cr Kruk, alongside local residents, monitors and reports suspicious activity, to try and stop crime at its root causes.
“There are elderly neighbours who aren’t on social media, so we’ll knock on doors to check in and share footage from my security cameras,” he said.
He said he advocates for applying theories like the broken windows principle to uplift the area.
A Department of Health spokesperson said outreach services have recently been expanded into Footscray and surrounding suburbs.
“People struggling with addiction deserve our care wherever they are and our statewide action plan is ensuring there’s more support for people in suburbs like Sunshine and across the state,” the spokesperson said.
Brimbank council community wellbeing director Lynley Dumble said council continues to try and provide the best possible support to its people.
“Council actively collaborates with Victoria Police, local health and community support providers, to minimise the harms associated with unsafe alcohol consumption and problematic drug use,” she said.
“Feeling safe and being able to enjoy your local neighbourhood is vital to the health and wellbeing of our community. Keeping our streets safer is a team effort and while council is not directly responsible for responding to crime, we undertake a number of initiatives to prevent crime through our Safe and Inclusive Brimbank Strategy.”
A Victoria Police spokesperson said dedicated resources patrolled Sunshine day and night.
“In addition to our routine work, officers have also been running Operation Street Sweep in the Sunshine area.”
The spokesperson said the operation had bolstered resources across Sunshine.
“Police will be patrolling the Sunshine CBD and surrounding areas to detect and deter any offending and to also engage with the community,” the spokesperson said.
“Officers will also be working with relevant services to engage with those experiencing homelessness, or youth in the community who may need outreach assistance to ensure they can access the support they need.”
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