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23 MARCH, 2022
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Silly socks for charity
Staff Mohammad Hallak and Rima Kanj with students Layla, Zara, Liyana, Zakariya and Zakariya wearing funky socks. Student Ali (front) with Colby (seated) from Down Syndrome Victoria.
Students at Al-Taqwa College wore their silliest socks to school to raise money in support of Down Syndrome Awareness day on March 21. This is the second year the school has participated in the event and the theme for the day is Lots of Socks. “Students across both primary and secondary school get to wear their craziest and most colourful socks – whatever takes their fancy,” head of extra-curricular activities Huda Hayek said. “The idea behind this is to raise awareness of Down Syndrome and show that we can be accepting of differences. At the same time, we raise donations to give to Down Syndrome Victoria, so we do our bit to support in another tangible way.” Ms Hayek believes all kids should feel included not only in school, but in the community in general. “It’s our responsibility to create awareness and promote inclusivity. In the Islamic faith, it’s essential to support and value people with disabilities as included and important members of society. We need to do our bit to uplift and support others,” she said. Fatima Halloum
Crime drops in Wyndham By Fatima Halloum The overall crime rate in Wyndham dropped 8 per cent in 2021, new Crime Statistics Agency data reveals. Criminal incidents have continued a steady decrease since 2020, down from 13,221 to 12,168 in 2021. Areas with the highest levels of incidents were Werribee, Hoppers Crossing, Tarneit, Point Cook and Wyndham Vale respectively, but all suburbs except Tarneit recorded a drop in incidents compared to 2020. Theft from a motor vehicle was the most
common offense across the municipality, increasing by 20 per cent from 1407 incidents in 2020 to 1698 the following year. Family violence orders rose three per cent from 798 in 2020 to 823. In 2021, 702 common assault incidents were reported compared to 629 the previous year, rising by 11 per cent. Crime most frequently occurred in houses, followed by streets, lanes and foothpaths, driveways and shopping complexes. Over 6000 incidents still had an investigation status of unsolved as of December, 2021, while 3892 matters had charges laid.
Inspector Darren Bentley said Wyndham police were focused on continuing to reduce criminal activity. “We currently have a number of active crime, community engagement and road policing focussed operations and tasks working in partnership with our external partners, our highway patrol units, proactive policing units and investigation units,” Inspector Bentley said. “These operations are tailored to further reduce crime against persons, property crime, promote community engagement and reduce road trauma in Wyndham.”
Across Victoria criminal offences decreased by 12.8 per cent, the lowest number of criminal offences in a calendar year since 2014. Regional operations Deputy Commissioner Rick Nugent said while the impacts of COVID-19 and lockdowns contributed to the overall decrease in crime, the reduction was “incredibly positive”. “To date, we have not seen a rapid return across all crime categories, with police intelligence indicating overall offending still remains below pre-pandemic levels,” he said.
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