Neighbourhood Watch: STN 1 South YarraRegion 1 Division 2 Stonnington, Victoria, Australia.
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Neighbourhood Watch: STN 1 South Yarra
Region 1 Division 2
Stonnington, Victoria, Australia.
You are here: Home>Newsletters>November 2002
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November, 2002 Your comments sought on Safety Plan STONNINGTON Council's Draft Community Safety Plan is now available for public comment. The Plan can be accessed from the Council's web site : www.stonnington.vic.gov.au/home or at Council service centres and libraries. Specific issues to be addressed in the Draft Plan are: • City streets including Chapel Street, particularly at night in the vicinity of entertainment venues. • Gay venues in Commercial Road. • Car parks in general, in terms of lighting, graffiti, vandalism and theft of cars. • South Yarra Railway Station and environs, and railway stations in general. • In the vicinity of licensed premises in general. • Road Safety and safe pedestrian movement for older persons. • Public housing estates - some safety issues in the adjoining parks surrounding - possible drug related? Princess Gardens mentioned specifically. • Domestic violence is under-reported and perceived to be a problem. • Co-ordination of a proliferation of services and programs is lacking. • Women's safety. • Lack of skills for staff in Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED). If you have a safety issue which you think requires addressing, I urge you to read the Draft Plan and inform Council of your concerns. Submissions close at the end of December. Information Day IN October, South Yarra Neighbourhood Watch participated in Community Safety Month by having an information day at Prahran Market. Lots of information and advice was given to market patrons by volunteers Jack, Gwen, Kath, Noreen, Jonathon and Ernie. Many thanks for your assistance. Web Logs AN internet communications phenomena which has taken off in the last few years is the Web Log - usually referred to as Blogs. A Blog is a sort of mixture of personal diary, newspaper column, letter to the editor, web site where personal thoughts and opinions are expressed, and feedback to those opinions can be made. I am aware of one Blogger who resides in Stonnington ( pixelkitty.net ) and would be interested in hearing from any other local bloggers or people with personal web sites so that I can provide a link on the NHW site. My email address is in the left column. Thanks to volunteers AS this will be the last newsletter for this year, I would like to thank all the volunteers who help with the Neighbourhood Watch Program by delivering this newsletter to local residents. My special thanks to Jack and Gwen Rogers, who at 70 something years young, organised the printing and distribution of the newsletters. The NHW newsletter will be taking a break for the next couple of months and resume in February. STN 1 residents can keep up to date during this period, on Area Crime Reports, by checking the web site at http://home.vicnet.net.au/~nhwstn1. Aggravated burglary arrests IN JULY and August of this year a series of aggravated burglaries occurred in the South Yarra, Toorak and Malvern areas. The head of Prahran CIU, Senior Sgt Dave Martin, told Neighbourhood Watch that as a result of information received from the public two teams of burglars have been charged with a total of 33 offences. S/Sgt. Martin stressed the importance of an observant public reporting suspicious activity to the police in helping to further reduce the local crime rate and assisting in the apprehension of offenders. Watch Out for bogus callers Police are warning residents to watch out for marketing people posing as Neighbourhood Watch volunteers. Senior Sergeant Steve Rosewarne of Boronia police said residents alerted police to the problem after suburbs across the Knox municipality were targeted. "We have numerous calls from residents saying they were suspicious of the nature of the visit, especially after handing over personal information." He said the people wore Neighbourhood Watch identification tags, but were marketing people for two security system companies. "They knock on residents' doors, identify themselves as Neighbourhood Watch, and then ask a number of personal questions, including have they ever been burgled, before asking for their phone number,"Snr Sgt Rosewarne said. A week later, they are phoned by the security companies asking if they want to purchase an alarm system. Telemarketing Scams IF YOU receive an unexpected telephone call that is from an unidentified or unknown source, often overseas, which offers you above-average returns on your money, or encourages you to trade in foreign currency, then you could be the target of a financial scam. The callers often claim to be stock-brokers or portfolio managers, and play on your curiosity with offers of high returns for your money. Here are some questions you might like to ask: • What is your Australian securities dealer's licence number? • Who is lodging your prospectus? • If it's a foreign caller, what is your ARBN (Australian Registered Body Number)? • What is your ABN (Australian Business Number) and your ACN (Australian company number)? • What is the name of your company? Who owns your company? What is your address? If they 're game enough to answer these questions, take the time to confirm their details with ASIC. You can check the details of unknown financial advisers on ASIC 's register of authorised financial representatives at www.fido.asic.gov.au or by telephoning ASIC. You should also ask for published independent substantiation of projected earnings, current financial statements, and prospectus. Ask for proof of testimonials of financial success. Don't be pressured into making a decision on the phone. Make your own decision in your own time after doing some research. Anyone with an inquiry should contact Consumer and Business Affairs Victoria on 9627 7126 or 1800 678 328. Internet users should visit the web site: www.scamwatch.gov.au. NHW Sentinel Petrol thief left with a nasty taste A WOULD-BE thief was left with a nasty taste in his mouth recently. The owner of a camper van had installed a toilet and shower in his van. To accommodate the new features he converted the petrol tank into an effluent storage unit and installed a larger gas tank in the former dual-fuel camper van. After returning from a trip, the owners left the camper van outside their home. The following morning they discovered a syphon hose coming from the former petrol tank and a large pile of vomit on the side of the road. The moral to this story is that crime doesn't pay. Ballarat Courier Drink spiking DRUG assisted sexual assault is of increasing concern to the community and Victoria Police. Often the victim is unaware of a crime occurring until well after the incident. The drugs used are difficult to detect in liquid form. They can be carried in drink bottles, nail varnish bottles or any type of container. Victoria Police encourages the community to reduce their level of risk by inviting people to consider the following points. • Always have someone watch your drink. •Only let people you know buy you a drink. • Plan the night out; let someone know where you are going and what time you are expected home. • Encourage one person to be the designated driver for the evening, this person can watch the drinks and keep an eye on the behaviour of those in the group. • If you start to feel really drunk very suddenly, seek help straight away from a trusted friend. • If you are out on your own in a pub or club contact the management on the premises. • Do not make an attempt to leave on your own. • Do not let a stranger assist you in any way. If this crime has been committed on you or somebody you know contact your local Criminal Investigation Unit (C.I.U.) or Crime Stoppers toll free number 1800 333000 NHW Sentinel Next Meeting
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Last modified 7 September 2003.