By NATALIE GALLENTI
MELTON police will take a proactive approach in a bid to curb criminal activity, according to the area’s top cop.
Inspector Mario Fiorentino told Star police are determined to see a drop in crime in the next twelve months despite recent Victoria Police statistics revealing an overall 22.1 per cent spike in the past year.
Insp Fiorentino said in spite of the surge, Melton City residents can rest assured that the area remains a safe place to live.
“The likelihood of your average mum and dad walking down the street and being assaulted is remote,” he said.
“The majority of times the parties know each other.”
Insp Fiorentino said the recent increase in crime could be seen as a positive as more incidents were being reported and investigated.
“A lot of work we are doing is also driving our crime stats up so unfortunately the overall picture looks much worse than reality.”
But he admitted if the public feared for their safety then this was a major issue for police.
“Now we have to deal with perception. If they’re in fear, then that is reality for them.
“We want to give confidence back to the public so they can start enjoying their town.”
Insp Fiorentino said the creation of a burglary and family violence unit showed a commitment to stamp out violence in one of Australia’s fastest growing areas.
He said police are already seeing results with a spate of robberies in Caroline Springs last month coming to an abrupt end.
He said the area’s diverse cultural groups and ever-rising number of young people meant there was a vast range of issues for the public and law enforcement officers to contend with and acknowledged there was still a fair way to go to clean up the streets.
But police are in it for the long haul.
“There’s only a few bad eggs ruining it for the rest of them. Most of our kids are young studious people looking for a job.
“It’s not just about reducing crime through the courts but about education and taking a proactive approach.”
