Clampdown

Police vow to clean up
AN EMERALD police officer almost run over by a speeding car in Cockatoo says law and order will be restored in the district.
Despite an eventful first three weeks at Emerald Police station, Acting Sergeant Stuart Halligan said he and his colleagues were determined to eliminate unruly youth behaviour in the area.
Last fortnight, Emerald Police station’s newest member was forced to jump out of the way as a Holden Statesman he was trying to intercept in McBride Street raced towards him.
“We were there talking to some youths in the area and he’s (driver) gone flying past,” Acting Sgt Halligan said.
“He turned around at the bottom of the street and then sped back up the street towards us.”
The Holden Statesman was later located at a Cockatoo property and the 20-year-old driver charged with conduct endangering life and disobeying instructions of a police member.
While the near-miss was one of the low points of Acting Sgt Halligan’s 18-year career he said police in the area wouldn’t be intimidated.
“It’s a bit daunting when you’re trying to do your job and have to duck for cover,” he said.
“We will work through this.”
Acting Sgt Halligan said several youth from the Emerald-Cockatoo area had been apprehended, interviewed and charged with offences such as vandalism, robbery and assault in recent weeks.
Sgt Halligan said Emerald and Cockatoo Police, in conjunction with the Pakenham Crime Investigation Unit (CIU), were working on several strategies to stamp out such behaviour.
“There are youth issues that we’re working through and measures that we are putting in place,” he said. “There will be more patrols at the height or spike times when crime occurs; weekends and evenings.”
“We’ve got to try and push this very hard… we want the public perception to really lift with us.”
Senior Constable Duncan Bartley, stationed at Emerald for the past four years, said anti-social behaviour had long been a problem but it was now out of control.
“It has got significantly worse,” he said.
Sen Const Bartley said more and more youth were flouting the law.
“It’s more of a next generation thing coming through,” he said.
“Whether it’s a parental thing or a result of other things they have to deal with, I’m not sure.
“They (youth) seem to have no respect for others let alone the law.” He said offences such as minor damage, minor assault and those relating to alcohol were most common and were usually committed by youth aged between 16 and 19 years old.
However, he said some were as young as 13.
Sen Const Bartley conceded police had lost control to the point where residents feared for their safety.
“A lot feel threatened, a lot feel fearful.
“There has been occasions where those part of the core problem have stood over them to the point where they have been too scared to contact police,” he said.
With the party season fast-approaching, Sen Const Bartley said it was vital that residents reported all offences to help police in their quest to make the district a safer place.
•TWO Cockatoo youth have been charged with smashing 100 windows at Emerald Secondary and Emerald Primary schools.
Police believe the boys, aged 13 and 16, used shopping trolley poles to break the windows on Sunday 14 October.