Toilet block at Lake Monger. Photo: Eleri Teesalu
The Town of Cambridge is planning to splash out $60,000 to light up a Lake Monger toilet block, which is a well-known sex hotspot for men.
At last month's council meeting the city voted to install lighting at the Dodd Street dunnies because of ongoing concerns by locals about anti-social behaviour and "inappropriate sexual activities".
The city shied away from installing CCTV cameras at the lavatories, despite only three of the 56 locals surveyed being opposed to having permanent cameras at the loos.
The council felt it could not justify the $10,000 for the CCTV cameras.
West Leederville ward councillor Jane Powell told the Curtin University student online news site the Western Independent that installing CCTV should be a matter for police.
"Installing CCTV in this area is something that police need to look into in order to reduce crime and undesirable activity in the area," Ms Powell said.
A local resident who regularly jogs around Lake Monger said he had been "propositioned" by men at the toilets.
"I did one lap around Lake Monger and was feeling pretty good, so I set off on another lap," he said.
"I got three-quarters through and gave up and headed to the toilets.
"While there I got approached by three men, including one who just grabbed my gonads.
"I managed to run home after that."
The Cruising Gay: City Hookup Guide site lists the Lake Monger toilet as a place for men to meet for sex.
"The toilet can get busy during the day, just be careful as it is also a family spot," it says.
"Night time is the cruisiest time. Guys cuise (sic) the pathway by the lake, in between the trees and wait in the bushes. There is also a lookout close by where guys walk to and sit and wait."
The Three Schools Safety Committee – made up of members from the Lake Monger Primary, Telethon Speech and Hearing, and Bold Park Community School – sent a letter to council it had written to Police Minister Liza Harvey and Education Minister Peter Collier concerned about the crime, anti-social behaviour and "inappropriate sexual activities" around the toilet block.
"Each school has dealt with much criminal activity within the area which has included numerous break-ins into all three premises, vehicles on Dodd Street, syringes on school premises, inappropriate sexual activities in and around the toilet block as well as children being approached by adults through the gates of the schools," the letter wrote.
"Wembley Police have indicated Dodd Street is frequent for crime and as a result officers carry out three patrols in Dodd Street each shift continually. Even with frequent patrols taking place, Dodd Street is still a hotspot for criminal activities."
The city said the toilets have been a subject of anti-social behaviour for years, but a number of strategies - including closing them, putting locks on the toilets and cutting back nearby shrubbery - had all failed.
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