Highlights
- Indian community of Melbourne’s Wyndham council to protest against rising crime in the neighbourhood
- Incidents of carjacking and theft have increased in recent past
- Victoria Police say they are very mobile in the community
Intaj Khan, a resident of Melbourne’s western suburbs and a former councillor of the Wyndham City Council, and others are organising a protest after a string of recent car thefts in the vicinity.
Victoria Police, however, have assured SBS Hindi of “sufficient police resourcing in the Wyndham area.”
Incidents of carjacking and theft in the past fortnight have prompted residents to organise this protest, which will be held at Wyndham Village Shopping Centre on 10 April.
“Many people living in Wyndham are now feeling scared following the recent incidents in Wyndham,” Mr Khan told SBS Hindi.
Titled 'Wyndham Safe Movement', the protest is being organised by members of the Indian community in the council area that constitutes 17 suburbs including Werribee and Tarneit. These suburbs are popular amongst Melbourne’s Indian community.
Organiser Intaj Khan said the protest would occur at Wyndham Village Shopping Centre on Saturday between 12 pm and 2 pm. Source: supplied by Intaj Khan
“Members from the wider community are joining in because such incidents are increasing,” added Mr Khan.
On 3 April, Shivam Joshi and his partner reported to the police after their Honda car went missing from outside a local gym.
The car was recovered in a damaged condition the next day.
Shivam Joshi and his partner reported the theft of their car to the police. Source: Supplied by Shivam Joshi
“We are glad the police found our car, but we had to pay $2000 in insurance excess for no fault of ours.
“Officers told us that some teenagers had stolen our car and they crashed it into a stationary police vehicle when asked to pull over. Since those teenagers had no income, they won't be able to pay the excess, we were told,” Mr Joshi said.
However, Ravi Teja, a temporary resident of Indian nationality, was not as fortunate.
On 28 March, Mr Teja lost his car that he had purchased two days ago. He scraped up all his savings to pay for it.
He was out for a drive with a friend when two men reportedly hijacked the car at knifepoint in Werribee late on Sunday, 26 March.
“We were at a traffic intersection, and my friend was driving when two men approached us with a knife and asked us to get out,’ Mr Teja said.
“We feared for our safety as this had never happened with us before. We gave them the car,” he recalled.
In addition to losing the car, Mr Teja said he also lost his wallet which was kept in the car. It contained nearly $700 cash and some bank cards.
Shivam Joshi's car was recovered in a damaged condition the next day. Source: Supplied by Shivam Joshi
“The carjackers tried to use my bank cards twice, but I had already blocked them. First, they tried to withdraw $800 and then about $30,” he added.
The police recovered Mr Teja's car too, but it was severely damaged.
He thus suffered damages of $5,000 as he was planning to insure his car the next day. The car has now been written off.
Talking to SBS Hindi, Victoria Police said the crime incidents in Wyndham in 2020 have remained steady compared with the previous year.
Mr Teja's damaged car. Source: Supplied by Ravi Teja
“Wyndham police are extremely mobile in the community. We regularly conduct proactive patrols at populated areas including shopping centres and strips, parks and on our roads,” a Victoria Police spokesperson said.
Victoria Police added they are working closely with the council and other partner agencies to prevent crime and address any safety concerns.
“If ever anyone feels unsafe or in trouble, call Triple Zero (000) immediately. The public can report non-urgent crime by calling the Police Assistance Line on 131 444 or by submitting reports via our Online Reporting Service,” the statement added.
Victoria Police said crime incidents in Wyndham have remained steady in 2020 compared with the previous year. Source: Victoria Police
Residents in Wyndham can report incidents to Crime Stoppers at 1800 333 000 or by submitting a confidential report online at www.crimestoppersvic.com.au.
