BCNA representatives attended a community forum organised by the Victoria Police's Port Phillip Local Area Commander last Tuesday to discuss policing issues in the area. Such meetings are being held around the state with sponsorship by the Chief Commissioner.
The main topics were drugs, youth offending, road policing and family violence. Crime statistics are collected and reported by the Crime Statistics Agency. The top offences in the Port Phillip area were stealing from motor vehicles and property crime. Sadly, 5 road-related deaths occurred.
E-scooter safety and hooning, two priority issues for BCNA, were discussed. Police report that they are enforcing road laws regarding laws regarding E-scooter use (see our previous news item here). The Principal of Port Melbourne Secondary College, Anne Stout, spoke about speeding and dangerous driving on Plummer Street. Police will be targeting this. Police report that the mobile CCTV unit, purchased by the City of Port Phillip at the urging of BCNA, has proved valuable.
Police continue to emphasise the reporting of incidents as this helps them to plan and target police resources. Here’s a quick summary of how to report.
Triple Zero - 000 - Call 000 immediately if the incident is life-threatening, needs ommediate police attendance, a crime is happening now, or an offender is (or may be) still in the area.
Police Assistance Line - 131 444 - To report non-urgent crimes and events.
Crime Stoppers - 1800 333 000 - To report crime information confidentially