By NATALIE GALLENTI-BREKALO
FRUSTRATED Taylors Hill residents plan to ramp up their calls for a 24-hour police station in Caroline Springs, after several incidents in the last three months have left them even more fearful for their safety.
Led by Melton City councillor Lara Carli, the Taylors Hill Safety Committee is gaining strength in the area and is calling on police to meet them and discuss the hot topics of drugs and burglaries in the area.
“The group feels more unsafe now than ever,” Cr Carli told Star.
“We’re trying to keep our children safe … but I was taken aback when I heard about the drug-related incidents and finding needles in the local playground.”
Cr Carli said as the community grew, so too should the local police force.
Melton Police Inspector Stephen Mutton told Star the police service area recently received an additional numbers of officers which had allowed the station to be manned on Tuesday and Thursday evening and Saturday during the day.
Insp Mutton said his vision was that the police station would one day be open until 10pm on Monday to Friday and during the day on both Saturday and Sunday.
Already thousands of people have signed a petition calling on the State Government to “make our community safe again by providing more police officers to be based at Caroline Springs Police Station and for the station to be open 24 hours a day and operating seven days a week.”
Taylors Hill resident Olivia Liron said residents were feeling “scared” and had even begun organising stalls at local shopping centres to gain support from the community.
Ms Liron said while police might be on patrol, a resident could wait well over an hour to get a response from police who were usually travelling from Melton.
“I know they say they’re on patrol, but they are coming from Melton.
“Some of my friends feel really unsafe … some people are even buying cameras to install at home.”
Keilor MP Natalie Hutchins said she had been overwhelmed by how many people had already signed the petition.
“The committee is even stronger now … over the summer months everyone came back with lots of stories of crimes that have left them feeling unsafe,” Ms Hutchins said.
“The committee is really fired up, all they’re after is a quick response from police.”
