Police crack down on crime at Boronia Junction shopping precinct

POLICE are cracking down on crime and anti-social behaviour at a shopping precinct in Melbourne’s outer east amid community safety fears.

Police are cracking down on crime and anti-social behaviour at the Boronia Junction shopping precinct. Picture: Steve Tanner

POLICE are cracking down on crime and anti-social behaviour at the Boronia Junction shopping precinct amid community safety fears.

Two men — one who was out on bail — were charged in the space of three days over incidents in the area.

On April 4, a 39-year-old man of no fixed address was arrested for being drunk and threatening Woolworths staff outside the shopping centre.

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Boronia Sergeant Ell McGibbony said the man was out on bail and was known to police for similar behaviour.

The man was remanded in custody and then jailed for two months.

On April 6, a shirtless Selby man, 37, was arrested for theft from a nearby trader.

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He was later bailed to reappear in court on May 10.

Busybodies Health & Fitness owner Craig Templeman said he saw crime daily outside his gym and it was one of the reasons he was moving after 25 years.

Mr Templeman said the atmosphere around Boronia Junction had become “progressively worse” over the years and he regularly saw people taking and dealing drugs, indecent exposure, graffiti, property damage and attempted thefts.

“I’m not comfortable here anymore, and I’m not comfortable for my patrons or my members,” Mr Templeman said.

The Boronia Junction shopping precinct is not far from the Boronia police station. Picture: Steve Tanner

Readers also flooded Knox Leader’s Facebook page with safety concerns about the shopping precinct, which is next to the police station.

Knox councillor Peter Lockwood and former MP Hurtle Lupton had mixed opinions on safety in the area.

Cr Lockwood said people had not raised any safety concerns with him recently and he felt safe walking around Boronia at all hours.

But Mr Lupton, a former MP and councillor, believed police were undermanned.

Mr Lupton described the area’s atmosphere as “unsavoury” and felt it had worsened over the past five years.

Boronia Senior Sergeant Daniel Baynes said police were targeting the area with uniform and undercover operations, and officers also met regularly with traders and community groups to address concerns.

“Police have zero tolerance for criminal activity or anti-social behaviour and take appropriate action when offences are detected,” Sen-Sgt Baynes said.

Sen-Sgt Baines said people could feel confident shopping at the precinct.

Woolworths spokesman Sean Ottley did not respond to questions about the Boronia Junction supermarket.

But he said the “vast majority” of customers did the right thing when visiting its stores and Woolworths had “a range of security measures in place for the small amount that don’t”.