‘SAFE AS HOUSES’ CAMPAIGN LAUNCHES IN HUME

Residents in Hume will be taught practical ways to make their homes ‘safe as houses’ as part of a crime prevention initiative supported by the Andrews Labor Government.

Member for Yuroke Ros Spence today helped launch the Safe as Houses campaign, which will provide around 39,000 residents with access to crime prevention information.

The government provided Attwood House Community Centre with almost $9000 to deliver the campaign, which urges the community to play its part in deterring residential burglaries, theft of and from motor vehicles and theft of personal property in public places.

Attwood House Community Centre will deliver the crime prevention messages through social media, flyers, fridge magnets, information packs and face-to-face information sessions facilitated with Victoria Police.

The information sessions, which began in March, will continue to be delivered to residents of Attwood, Westmeadows, Gladstone Park, Greenvale and Tullamarine until September. Local crime rates and strategies to prevent crime will also be discussed.

The government provided funding through its Community Safety Fund (CSF) as part of the broader Community Crime Prevention Program.

The CSF grants provide funding for community groups and councils across Victoria to implement locally based crime prevention projects.

Since July 2015, the government has provided more than $1.26 million in crime prevention funding for 12 projects to improve community safety in the Hume Local Government Area (LGA).

The government is committed to reducing harm in Hume and across Victoria and recently announced a further $115 million to deliver more police, more protection and more prevention.

The Community Safety Statement 2018/19 comes on top of the government’s record $2 billion investment which is delivering 3135 new police, tougher laws and harsher sentences.

An additional 89 new police officers have already been deployed to police stations in Hume as part of the Labor Government’s investment in Victoria Police, with a further 53 recently allocated to the LGA.

Quotes attributable to Member for Yuroke Ros Spence

“We know that in nearly 20 per cent of residential burglaries across Victoria, entry is made through unlocked doors or windows, and there’s no sign of forced entry in more than 50 per cent of thefts from cars.”

“While the latest crime statistics show theft offences in Hume dropped 16.6 per cent in 2017, these types of crimes have a huge impact to those who fall victim.”

“This campaign will help equip residents with practical tips on how they can play their part in reducing crime, simply by making it harder for criminals.”