JUNE 20, 2017 \ STARWEEKLY.COM.AU
NEWS + SPORT + PROPERTY GUIDE
(Joe Mastroianni)
Harnessing his talent Gisborne teenager Luke Humphreys is proving to be a frontrunner in the race-calling world. He called last week at Victoria’s home of harness racing, Tabcorp Park Melton, at a race meeting which was televised on Sky Channel. The 16-year-old said he was “very, very lucky” to have been given such an opportunity. “It’s just the stuff you dream of, really,” he said. Luke got into horse racing at an early age through his father who breeds and races standardbreds. As a young boy, Luke would go along to the race course and practise calling. He landed his first break, as a grade 6 pupil, when Ballarat Turf Club asked if he would fill in for the regular night trials caller. Luke laughed when recalling his first broadcasting gigs. “I thought, ‘This will be easy’,” he said. “Of course, I was appalling at it.” The young broadcaster now aspires to calling feature races and to pursue media studies. “Calling the Melbourne Cup would be the absolute pinnacle for any Melbourne caller,” he said. LUKE HUMPHREYS
Serena Seyfort
Violent crimes raise fear By Esther Lauaki Violent home invasions and robberies are on the rise in Melton, according to the latest crime statistics. Crime Statistics Victoria data released last week confirmed surges in aggravated burglaries and robberies – two categories that have caused increased concern in the community. The figures revealed a 41.7 per cent increase in robberies in the year to March 31 that took into account a hike in aggravated robbery from 46 to 64 offences, up 39.1 per cent. Burglaries in Melton were down 3.6 per cent from 1323 offences to 1276. Aggravated burglary was up 48.7 per cent, from 78 to 116.
The total number of offences recorded in Victoria rose four per cent in the past year. Aggravated burglary across Victoria jumped 28 per cent. But police believe burglaries overall are getting more violent, with about one in 12 burglaries across Melbourne involving violence. Police called a community safety forum last month in response to a spate of violent crimes in Melton, including a home invasion on May 17 in which a group of about eight men armed with metal poles broke into a Gillespie Drive house while a family slept. Four separate home invasions, all happening within days of each other, are under
investigation. Some arrests have been made. Melton Inspector Kathryn Rudkins said that the safety and security of the community were the top priority for police. She said regular intelligence-led patrols were continually being conducted to detect, deter and disrupt criminal or antisocial behaviour. Many locals, posting on the Caroline Springs Residents Page on Facebook, have been calling for state and local governments to take action on crime, saying they felt “helpless”. Police Minister Lisa Neville said the latest figures, which showed a smaller increase than in past years, indicated that the crime rate was heading in the “right direction”.
Ms Neville conceded that Victorians might struggle to believe the crime situation was improving when they were seeing reports of terrifying home invasions and armed robberies. “I thank hard-working police in Melton and across Victoria for their tireless work tackling crime and protecting our community,” she said. “While there are positive signs in the latest crime stats, we know there is more to be done. That’s why we’re putting thousands more police on our streets and giving law enforcement agencies the powers and technology they need to keep Victorians safe.” ■ Melton
crime figures: Page 3
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