DECEMBER 19, 2017 \ STARWEEKLY.COM.AU
NEWS + SPORT + PROPERTY GUIDE
(Marco De Luca)
Santa Claus is coming to town
LIEUTENANT JASON SMITH, SANTA, LIEUTENANT DANIEL CACHIA AND FIREFIGHTER CHRIS TAYLOR
Santa is trading in his sleigh and reindeer for a fire truck as he makes his way around Mernda this weekend. With the help of the Mernda CFA, the big man in red will be visiting parks south of Bridge Inn Road on Saturday night and north of Bridge Inn Road on Sunday night. Mernda CFA’s Dean Castle said the annual Santa run is organised by the brigade to help spread Christmas cheer in the community. “The kids absolutely love it. They take photos with Santa and we hand out lollies,” he said. For details on where Santa will be visiting, go to www.merndacfa.com Laura Michell
Crime stats on the slide By Laura Michell Crime is on the decline in Whittlesea and Hume, led by a significant decrease in the number of break-ins and burglaries, latest crime data shows. September quarter data from the Crime Statistics Agency revealed that both Whittlesea and Hume recorded a 17 per cent drop in burglaries between September 2016 and September this year. In Whittlesea, there were 1554 burglaries between July and September this year 12360661-PB32-17
compared to 1877 during the same period last year. In Hume, 2076 burglaries were recorded, compared in 2306 in September, 2016. Whittlesea Inspector Andrew Falconer said the latest crime data was good news for residents. Inspector Falconer said police understood that burglary was the crime that worried residents the most. “We have had a focus on those offenders who are repeat offenders and that is now paying off,” he said. “We have been holding them to account.
“We’re working harder than ever before to put recidivist burglars before the courts.” Inspector Falconer warned people not to be complacent about security over summer. “I want to remind people coming into the warmer months not to leave windows and doors open and valuables lying around,” he said. “We still have a significant number of burglaries where people are walking in through an open door.” According to the latest data, overall crime fell 2.5 per cent in Whittlesea.
In Hume, offences fell 11 per cent. Both municipalities recorded drops in theft and drug offences, with robberies also on the decline in Hume. Hume recorded a slight drop in family violence offences, with reports down 1.8 per cent from September 2016, while offences were up just 0.2 per cent in Whittlesea. Inspector Falconer said Whittlesea police will launch a targeted response team in January, which will focus on number plate thefts. Police data shows that thefts of number plates spiked in January each year.