Give crime

A PETITION to allow local Neighbourhood Watch groups the ability to access street-by-street crime statistics has been launched.
Victorian Liberal Nationals Coalition Leader Ted Baillieu said the Brumby Government had cut off Neighbourhood Watch groups from local street-by-street crime statistics on burglaries, car thefts, thefts from vehicles, vandalism and other crimes.
“Denying access to street-by-street crime information from Neighbourhood Watch groups … is part of John Brumby’s plan to hide the truth about the types of crime affecting communities,” he said.
“Victorians are already suffering from record rates of violent crime and too few police on the streets.”
South Eastern Metropolitan MP Inga Peulich said the state-wide petition opposing the cuts to Neighbourhood Watch local crime reports of street-by-street statistics “will send a strong message to the Brumby Government that abandoning local Neighbourhood Watch groups is not what the community wants.”
Ms Peulich said she invited Neighbourhood Watch volunteers to get behind the petition to ensure that common sense prevailed.
“If you take the neighbour out of Neighbourhood Watch, all that is left is the hood,” Ms Peulich said.
“The Brumby Government is destroying Neighbourhood Watch, they have taken police out of schools, they have taken police out of Neighbourhood Watch and the Brumby Government has now removed the reporting of crime statistics on a street by street basis.”
“These policy failures will further erode community safety programs and crime fighting in our community and the King of Spin, Premier John Brumby, will no doubt use more taxpayer funded propaganda to paper over the truth.”
Petitions are available on www.ingapeulich.org or by contacting the Office of Inga Peulich on 9772 1366.