South Yarra residents have been advised to exercise caution after a spate of vehicle break-ins where thieves made off with whatever valuable they come across in the past few weeks across this leafy Melbourne suburb. The Melbourne South Yarra Residents Group (MSYRG) recently noted that thefts from cars parked on the street especially in the Park Street area and its nearby areas purportedly have risen sharply. Due to increased public outcry over these actions, police at the local level has deployed their full resources in order to arrest those involved in the act and prevent such actions in future.
Residents of South Yarra wake up every morning with an extra dose of insecurity and anger because of these break-ins. According to reports, car jackings occur mostly along residential areas after dark and included laptops, smartphones, and cash as items most frequently stolen. Sometimes cars have been broken into by smashing the windows while in some other instances, thieves broke into cars with out having to damage any part of the car.
The local police, namely Victoria Police, have stepped up measures of patrols in these areas while calls for people in these regions to be well guarded. Detective Senior Constable Sarah Thompson, leading the Byron investigation said, “These incidents are being treated as high priority throughout the state and resources are being directed towards capturing the offenders. The community urged all people to provide any information regarding any mysterious activities in the society and also ensure that they keep on protecting their property.
The MSYRG has been quite active in dealing with the problem and called a video conference meeting, while the residents are anxious to talk to the local policemen about the problem. The turnout at the meeting was good enabling the members of the community to air their concerns and get advised on ways of preventing the diseases. They are as follows: Avoid storage of any valuables in the car; avoid leaving your car locked at any one point; and thinking of installing security cameras or motion light till the compound.
Local councilor Emma Chen has even offered her support to the community, saying, “We are in contact with Victoria Police and groups of residents to target this problem.” Towards the prevention of crime, we are considering other steps which include enhancing the surveillance cameras in certain areas of the society.
The incident has raised other issues to do with security in South Yarra given that the recent incidents occurred. While some of the residents are demanding establishment of a neighborhood watch program others recommend installation of streetlights in the specific and affected areas. The MSYRG has proposed that it will soon be carrying out a survey whereby it will consider the responses it will receive from the community on the possibility and feasibility of such plans in the future and then report the same to the local council.
Small-scale business operators and entrepreneurs are also not spared by this wave of crimes. Some of the car dealerships and automotive repair shops in the area claim to have received more leads about vehicle protection and theft prevention mechanisms. South Yarra Auto Care owner Mark Davidson said: “We have experienced a marked increase of clients enquiring about enhanced security systems for their cars. Property owners are quite naturally worried and wish to avoid every possibility of occasioning a loss to their property.
The police investigations are still ongoing, forensic investigators have been arresting and processing samples from several crime scenes. Police say they are also studying tapes from adjacent stores and homes in an effort to come across the perpetrators. Detective Thompson has called on the public to come forward and report any information or any suspicious activity.
While the inquiry is ongoing, a spirit of solidarity prevails in South Yarra and people are standind by one another. Residents are taking to social media groups and community forums to discuss the measures that can be taken to secure vehicles and even ‘babysit’ neighbours’ compounds. This aspect of community cohesiveness is still one of the positive outcomes that can be associated will such a situation in the best interest of the suburb.
Interviewing some local real estate agents it was established that despite the recent occurrences, the parties interested in the area consider South Yarra as an ideal place to live in. Despite the recent unfortunate events, basic infrastructure such as the closeness to the CBD, good social amenities, and the neighborhood environment contributed to the population density in the suburb.
The South Yarra suburb is still struggling to contain this wave of vehicle break-ins and the reactions from both the authorities and the people show the fight of the suburb. With more awareness, community support and constant work carried out by the police force, there is hope that these spree of crimes would be stopped as soon as possible so that South Yarra returns to normal as safe and quite residential area.
