Police and security team up to beat crime at Westfield Fountain Gate
IT has seen some violent crimes over the past year, but now police and security have joined forces to break the cycle of violence at Westfield Fountain Gate.
Police say in the past 12 months there have been up to seven violent crimes every month at the Narre Warren shopping centre, including the stabbing of a teenage girl by a classmate, two sexual assaults and a security guard brutally beaten for his cigarettes.
But Narre Warren Senior Sergeant Steve Wood said daily patrols and a closer working relationship with security had allowed police to claw back the violence, with just two incidents since the start of the year.
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“One year ago it was a high-risk location; we used to get groups or gangs whose members used to hang around the food court and they used to cause trouble,” Sen-Sgt Wood said.
“We have seen a decrease in assaults.
“There was one assault in January and one in February and we were seeing on average around seven per month earlier on.”
A teenage boy has been arrested in relation to the alleged daylight sexual assault of a girl on Magid Drive on January 27.
And on February 12 a man was left with serious head injuries after being coward punched in the carpark during a road rage incident.
“Police are patrolling the area each day, so during the shift police attend there at least once, sometimes more. They will get out of the car and walk through the centre so there is a higher visibility compared to just driving past.
“We work a lot more in conjunction with Fountain Gate security now and security is doing extended patrols of the carpark and when they see gangs congregating they call us so we are able to get there quicker.”
A big THANK YOU to everyone who joined us for 'Coffee with a Cop' at Fountain Gate and Cranbourne Park this week!Good...
Posted by Eyewatch - Casey Police Service Area on Wednesday, February 24, 2016
Monthly ‘Coffee with a Cop’ sessions at cafes throughout the centre, which began on Thursday, are expected to further improve perceptions of safety.
Centre group corporate affairs spokeswoman Julia Clarke said: “Safety is always a priority and Westfield Fountain Gate works very closely with the local police in order to make our environment as safe as possible for shoppers and retailers.”
n Coffee with a Cop sessions at Fountain Gate cafes are held on a nominated Thursday each month. Check the Casey Eyewatch Facebook page for updates.
FOUNTAIN GATE’S BLACK MARKS
March 6, 2015: A robber punches a Fountain Gate security guard and steals items from his pockets
April 2015: A security guard is brutally beaten for his cigarettes
June 2015: A teenage girl stabs her classmate near the centre. She is later jailed for 22 months
July 2015: A man hands himself in to police after sexually assaulting a teenage boy at the centre
November 2015: A man is punched in the face and robbed in the carpark
February 4, 2016: A teenage boy is arrested over the assault of young girl near the centre carpark
February 12, 2016: A man is left with serious head injuries after being coward punched during road rage attack in the centre carpark