By CASEY NEILL
A COCKATOO man cornered a vandal who’d trashed the town centre – but police were nowhere to be seen.
Peter Lee was on his way to market about 5am on Sunday 17 August when he found steel fencing from the McBride Street kindergarten blocking the road.
“They were propped up using rods and sticks,” he said.
“On the other side of the road, they tried to block it with rubbish bins.
“I rang the police, because it’s dangerous. I called triple zero.”
Mr Lee got out of his car to remove the gates and discovered that at least one perpetrator was still at the scene.
“One person was shouting abuse at me, but they were a distance away. They were hiding,” he said.
“I invited the person to come over and have a talk to me.”
Mr Lee said he then received a phone call from a senior constable at Pakenham police.
“He told me that both the police vehicles that Pakenham had were tied up on other jobs,” he said.
The officer had also found no-one available at Narre Warren or Emerald.
“We’ve got an $8 million police station sitting at Emerald, and they’re not 24-7,” Mr Lee said.
“This is ridiculous.
“They’re effectively endangering people’s lives in their community.
“If the area was layered in thick fog, someone could have come along and not seen the fencing.
“They could have been killed or seriously injured.”
Pakenham Acting Senior Sergeant Ray De Reus said police had recognised the response to calls was not always ideal.
“We are building the numbers at Emerald police station at present,” he said.
“Two additional sergeants arrived in July and another seven constables or senior constables are due to be allocated in the coming months.”
Sen Sgt De Reus said this would increase the staffing levels to one senior sergeant, three sergeants and 13 constables or senior constables.
“As those extra members arrive, police availability hours will increase to include police working night shift from the new police station at Emerald,” he said.
Gembrook MP Brad Battin said the State Government had delivered on the new station for Emerald.
“I am working on behalf of the community to see an increase in police numbers in the Emerald area,” he said.
“As this has just occurred, I will raise it as a priority during this Parliamentary sitting week for the attention of the Minister.”
The vandals had also strewn newspapers and op shop donations across Cockatoo’s main street, strung a community banner across the road and railway tracks between two wheelie bins, and placed a steel bin on the Puffing Billy railway line.
Leaha Campbell helped with the clean-up, and told the Gazette she felt the same way about the incident as most local residents.
“That the deliberate destruction and vandalism is a nuisance and it is disheartening that those responsible would destroy donated items for the needy in our community,” she said.
“The business traders shouldn’t have to spend their valuable time cleaning up the main street of Cockatoo before patrons can park in front of their shop.
“It’s the senselessness that really angers me.”
Cardinia Shire Council’s buildings and facilities manager Steve Fernee said the council acted promptly to assist in the rubbish clean-up.
“It is disappointing to have these acts of vandalism occur. Vandalism and graffiti is something council discourages and continues to be concerned with,” he said.
