By Cam Lucadou-Wells
NEARLY $1 million of a state community safety and crime prevention grants program will be targeted in Casey.
The State Government announced $700,000 in Youth Crime Prevention Grants over two years, as well as $250,000 to improve safety in Narre Warren Village.
The youth crime prevention program will be devised with the help of a workshop with community leaders, Narre Warren South MP Judith Couacaud Graley said.
Victoria Police and Casey Council are among the invitees to help devise local, evidence-based programs to break the spate of home invasions and serious crime by young offenders.
The grant was targeted in eight “priority” municipalities, including Greater Dandenong and Casey.
It comes on top of a concerted series of law-and-order announcements from the State Government in recent days, including 2729 extra police in the next four years.
The Public Safety Infrastructure Fund grant in Narre Warren Village will help provide improved pathways, open spaces, lighting, seats and toilets.
Ms Graley said she’d advocated in recent years for the grant.
“It’s an area that has great possibilities and has not been getting the attention it deserves,” she said.
In Parliament on 6 December, Ms Graley said: “The City of Casey has finally woken up to the fact that there is poor design, poor lighting and the placement of a public toilet block that allows and enables criminal and anti-social activities, particularly vandalism and graffiti, to occur.
“Many local businesses are now concerned that local residents are deterred from visiting the area due to their concerns about their safety.”
A Casey Council spokesman said: “This is welcome investment which will kick start a much-needed revitalisation infrastructure in the Webb Street, Narre Warren precinct.
Council looks forward to working with the Webb Street traders to make improvements that will benefit both the traders and local community.”
