Parents call for CCTV at bus stop dubbed ‘most dangerous’ in Casey
Young thugs are preying on vulnerable students and starting brawls at a bus stop near a Cranbourne shopping centre. Now parents are calling for more security at the dangerous spot.
South East
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A bus stop dubbed the “most dangerous” in Casey is again in the spotlight after reports of fights and attempted robberies.
The Lyall St bus stop, near Cranbourne Park Shopping Centre, has seen a string of violent incidents in recent months.
One mother, who asked not to be identified, told Leader her 12-year-old son was left shaken after youth approached him on Tuesday, February 25 and asked him to hand over his phone.
“A Sudanese teenager asked my son for the time and when he told him the time the other boy approached him closely and said ‘give me your phone’ and my son said ‘I don’t have a phone’,” the mother said.
“Luckily his bus arrived and he got on, but my son said he saw the person move on and do this to another person too, which is really concerning,” she said.
“They need to put PSOs and CCTV at the bus stop immediately – our children have the right to feel safe when they go to school.”
The mother said she reported the incident to Cranbourne police.
In October last year a 13-year-old girl was punched in the back of the head by a gang of older girls who tried to steal her phone and jacket at the bus stop.
The girl’s mother, April Pearce, who started a change.org petition calling for the council to install CCTV cameras around the area, said the bus stop was still “plagued with issues”.
“There are still constant fights, teens are getting rolled for their phones – how many more of them have to suffer and feel threatened before something is done?” Ms Pearce said.
“The council and police need to act now – the problem is only getting worse.”
Neighbourhood Watch Casey president Rob Ward said he was aware of problems surrounding the bus stop.
“It doesn’t happen everyday but nonetheless it is something that the community should be aware of,” Mr Ward said.
“I am aware of what happened to the 12-year-old boy recently – I’ve spoken to police about it.
“We are trying to encourage parents to give their children personal alarms, which are available through Neighbourhood Watch Casey.”
Opposition emergency services spokesman Brad Battin supported the calls for CCTV at the bus stop.
“It will ensure that offenders are caught as quickly as possible,” Mr Battin said.
A Victoria Police spokeswoman said the incident involving the 12-year-old boy had not been reported to police.
“Police are aware of public order incidents near a bus stop on Lyall Street, Cranbourne.
Cranbourne police have increased their patrols of the area as part of Operation Tidal,” the spokeswoman said.
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“We continue to task our resources to where they’re needed most and that includes responding to community concerns.”
The spokeswoman said in addition to uniform and covert police patrols, mobile PSOs may be deployed at various locations throughout the day to “visibly and proactively” target crime and anti-social behaviour.
Casey Council safer communities acting manager Lee Hobbs said council staff had recently undertaken a site visit to the Lyall St interchange and identified the need for increased police presence.
“Accordingly, we have written to the local police command to request additional patrols of the bus interchange and look forward to working alongside them to increase safety in this area,” Mr Hobbs said.
“We are currently in the process of developing a CCTV policy and are undertaking a review and audit of CCTV cameras in Casey.”