Collaborative crackdown on crime

A collaborative effort is being made to address crime and anti-social behaviour in Medina, with residents, business owners, the City of Kwinana and local police attending a community safety forum last week.

People living and working in the area said they saw people taking drugs and expressed safety concerns, with a laneway behind local businesses cited as a problem area.

Queries were also raised over police response times. City of Kwinana Mayor Carol Adams said the forum at Medina Hall was in response to a recent spate of antisocial behaviour, break-ins and property damage around the shopping centre precinct.

“The forum was really well received, with a commitment by WA Police that they will increase patrols and presence in the Medina area,” she said.

“The Medina Residents Association currently organises a range of community events and activities, which are seen as important in increasing community safety through creating active spaces and decreasing opportunity for crime and antisocial behaviour to occur.

“The City of Kwinana’s community engagement officers are also linking vulnerable people who require support into services that can assist them.”

Kwinana Police Acting Senior Sergeant Gary Benzies said the community should report suspicious activity via 131 444 or call triple-zero in a life-threatening emergency.

We can only deal with what the public report, so make sure you let us know what’s happening in your community,

“You really are our eyes and ears and we really do care about making this a more pleasant place to live and work in.

“We have meetings daily to ensure we are patrolling exactly where there are problems so your reports really do make a difference to how we operate on daily basis. Please help us to help you.”

Kwinana MLA Roger Cook lauded the community for working together to address the issue.

“While my wish is for there to be no crime in the Kwinana electorate, this is just not realistic,” he said.

“The proactive response from the city, local police and concerned community members should be applauded as it is actions like these that will help reduce incidents and keep our community safe.

“I will be speaking with the Minister for Policing (Michelle Roberts) for further advice and whether extra police resources are required”