POLICE have warned against vigilante-style retribution despite reports of increasing crime on the southern Mornington Peninsula.
Residents fed up with the crime rate around the foreshore areas of Rosebud, Capel Sound and Tootgarook are calling for neighbourhood patrols. Reports from the community are coming in daily to The News and social media about thefts from cars, backyards and homes in the Rosebud, Tootgarook areas, with some posts showing video-evidence of the perpetrators. Several Facebook post are calling for community policing support.
Security footage of a burglary in early April at Rosebud Bazaar captures an allegedly known offender in the store after hours, and several residents have posted footage of a particular suspect breaking into cars and properties. But despite community concerns, Victoria Police says the Mornington Peninsula’s crime rate is at its third lowest level in a decade.
Police say offences in Rosebud are at their second lowest in a decade and those in Tootgarook at a decade low.
Data shows there were five residential aggravated burglaries in Rosebud and one in Tootgarook during 2023. Those statistics do not take into account thefts from cars or backyards, which seem to be an ongoing concern.
“Police conduct patrols day and night across the Mornington Peninsula, including Rosebud and Tootgarook, to detect and deter crime,” a police spokesperson said. “Victoria Police reminds the community not to take the law into their own hands. “Police are specially trained and equipped to respond to reports of all crime and vigilante groups can put themselves in harm’s way by attempting to take action against offenders.”
According to police data, thefts from vehicles on the peninsula are at their fourth lowest level in 10 years. Police say one of the easiest ways to avoid falling victim to thieves is by ensuring cars are locked, with offenders saying in police interviews they will walk up and down a street in search of unlocked homes and vehicles.
First published in the Mornington News – 23rd April 2024
