By ALESHA CAPONE
Police Inspector Bill Mathers will soon bid farewell to Hobsons Bay when he moves to a new position in Geelong.
On 28 January, Insp Mathers will officially leave Hobsons Bay after more than three years’ service in the area.
“I’ll probably miss the staff from the police stations in Hobsons Bay the most,” Insp Mathers said.
“They’re a really committed bunch and great to work with. I’ll also miss the community interaction.”
Insp Mathers said he would speak to the incoming inspector about the rewards and challenges of working in the West.
“I’ve got no doubt one of his focuses will be reducing high-volume crimes, which include thefts of vehicles and thefts from cars and things like that.” Insp Mathers said.
“Some of the things I’ll be talking to him about will be the ways we have been working to reduce the amount of young offenders in the area and who are also victims of crime.”
Insp Mathers nominated the attack on Jill Brookes at her Altona bookshop on 20 July last year as “the worst case” from his three years in Hobsons Bay.
Ms Brookes, 61, was discovered with serious injuries to her head and upper body after an unknown offender broke into her secondhand bookshop in Harrington Square.
“I know the investigators are working hard on that and I still hope a witness comes forward who can help solve the case,” Insp Mathers said.
On a more positive note, the inspector said he was proud of two community projects which police have begun in Hobsons Bay – including the past few months when local officers began utilising Facebook to inform the public about arrests, crime and police news.
“For someone like me who’s not a computer guru, the Facebook Eyewatch campaign was a great innovation,” Insp Mathers said.
“Another one which I really got a kick out of was the Pixel8 competition.”
The annual Pixel8 photography competition offers young people in Hobsons Bay the chance to capture images which represent the area.
