Federal Justice Minister Senator David Johnston, left, and Liberal candidate for Holt Emanuele Cicchiello visited the Hampton Park Shopping Centre to highlight community safety concerns.FEDERAL Justice Minister Senator David Johnston visited Hampton Park last week over concerns for residents’ safety.
Senator Johnston said Hampton Park, along with communities in Narre Warren and Dandenong, had experienced a spate of violent knife attacks and robberies, with the latest City of Casey crime figures showing a 28 per cent increase in aggravated burglary.
Senator Johnston, who was out at Hampton Park Shopping Centre last Thursday, urged locals to take action by applying for the Federal Government’s National Community Crime Prevention Program.
There have been numerous reports of assaults and robberies in the suburb over the last year, particularly around the shopping centre.
The Hampton Park Networking Group was set up to help businesses at the centre, with many closing because of fear for their safety and a lack of business, with customers often choosing other nearby shopping centres instead.
The Liberal candidate for Holt, Emanuele Cicchiello, welcomed the minister saying the Federal Government had taken a strong stand on crime prevention through the program.
“These grants give local communities the opportunity to undertake specific crime prevention and community safety projects and I want to encourage organisations in Holt to submit their initiatives for consideration.”
The grants of up to $500,000 enable community organisations to purchase small items of equipment or undertake small-scale projects that directly assist crime prevention in their local community.
“I want to encourage local organisations in Holt to participate in the National Community Crime Prevention initiatives so that we can tackle not only crime itself but also the fear of crime which often prevents sectors of the community, such as senior citizens from going out,” Mr Cicchiello said.
For information contact the Attorney-General’s department via email at nccppinfo@ag.gov.au or call (02) 6250 6711.
