Crime cash appeal

By Casey Neill
FEDERAL Government anti vandal funding has been slammed as “absolutely hopeless”.
The criticism from La Trobe MP Jason Wood comes in response to Canberra’s plan to spend $150,000 on crime prevention across several suburbs in his electorate.
Mr Wood appealed for the Rudd Government to make the funding available for Boronia following an arson attack on Boronia Village late last month.
The attack left a restaurant gutted and a number of other shops damaged.
Mr Wood called upon the Rudd Government to honour the Coalition’s $150,000 commitment, made in the lead up to last year’s federal election.
He said the $150,000 was to be used for the installation of security cameras in the suburb. “Nothing will bring back what these people have lost, but by installing the cameras and increasing police numbers, we can ensure that the criminals who commit these offences are caught, and act as a deterrent to other would-be criminals,” he said.
A spokeswoman for Home Affairs Minister Bob Debus told the Mail last Wednesday that the Federal Government would allocate a total of $150,000 across a number of suburbs in the La Trobe electorate, including Boronia.
Mr Wood said the pledge was “absolutely hopeless”.
“It just shows that the Rudd Government will not be tough on local crime,” he said.
“By the time it’s spread around there won’t be enough for each suburb to buy even one camera.”
Mr Wood said installing surveillance cameras would do two things.
“One, they act as a deterrent,” he said.
“And two, if there is a case it captures the offenders and makes the police’s job a lot easier.”
Mr Wood said that as a former Boronia police officer, he had seen a return to the “bad old days of not enough police”.
He said resources had grown since his time at the Boronia Police Station, but were now decreasing.
Mr Wood said that if the Federal Government would not provide adequate funding, the State Government needed to commit to the project.
“Either way it’s Labor governments failing to protect the community and address the crime issue,” he said.
Boronia trader Julie Brideson said the crime problem in the area was “shocking”.
Her store, Knoxville Dog Grooming, is located three doors down from the fire-gutted Bangkok Gardens Thai Restaurant in Boronia village.
She told the Mail she had regularly seen people urinating, drinking, and taking drugs outside her shop.
Ms Brideson said surveillance cameras would help “enormously”.
“We really and truly need it,” she said.
She said an increased police presence was also needed.
Ms Brideson said traders had been holding bi-monthly meetings to try to find ways to combat the crime wave.
“We’re trying to come up with ideas to curb the problems in the area,” she said.
She said local police and Knox Council representatives attended a number of the meetings.