Wallan home invasion: Police search for men allegedly behind ‘targeted’ attack, stabbing

Wallan residents are on edge after a spate of car thefts and a home invasion, with many saying it’s not the “little country town” it used to be.

A long serving Wallan police officer has addressed mounting concerns around community safety following a “spate” of crime including car thefts and a violent home invasion.

Paramedics were called to a home on Lyons Way on Sunday, July 10, after a 25-year-old man sustained a stab wound and a 60-year-old man an upper body injury in a home invasion by three masked men.

The alleged perpetrators, who are yet to be identified, were last seen about 9pm heading south towards Taylors Lane.

They allegedly made no demands for property during the incident, leading investigators to believe their sole purpose for forcing their way into the home was to assault the occupants.

The home invasion follows the theft of five Nissan utes from within the Wallan Response Zone — which includes Beveridge, Upper Plenty, and Hidden Valley — in the past month, as well as a number of thefts from building sites.

Wallan residents have turned to social media to hold offenders to account and warn each other of suspicious activity such as cars and hooded individuals “casing” properties.

Comments on recent posts included multiple Wallan residents claiming to feel the need to sleep with a weapon next to their beds.

Many questioned what had happened to the “cute little town” to cause the “disturbing,” “out of control” apparent upswing in crime.

This photo taken after an alleged attempted car theft was recently posted on social media as a warning to Wallan residents. Picture: Facebook

Young mum of two Jess Grayburn went as far as to say she would leave her Wallan rental property, seeking a safer environment for her family, as soon as her lease ended.

On a June 28 post about an attempted car theft, Ms Grayburn wrote:

“Just moved my young family to wallan. What a mistake that was. I have only been in wallan a short while and what I have seen already is messed up. Once the lease is up I’m getting out of there that’s for sure.”

She continued: “The amount of robberies around the Area is a joke. Like this is not safe for children at all this place. I have lived in many places and moved many times but wallan is the top 10 of the worst spots I have lived In for sure.

“I actually was unaware of how bad it was here.”

Residents have been sharing information including CCTV images of suspicious activity in the area. Picture: Facebook

Wallan police Senior Sergeant Steven Conlin said there was “no denying” there had been a “spate” of criminal activity in recent weeks, and a slight increase since the easing of Covid-19 travel restrictions.

Sen-Sgt Conlin has been stationed at Wallan for more than eight years, and said the recent thefts were largely a case of out-of-town offenders travelling to the area because of its easy access from the city and nearby northern metropolitan suburbs, and relatively large number of building sites.

He acknowledged the home invasion had caused fear in the community, but said it appeared to be a targeted incident involving persons known to each other, and not a random attack, “which would be much more problematic”.

“Unfortunately, as an area grows, the problems can grow,” he said.

“We don’t have groups of organised crime figures targeting the Wallan response area.

“The trouble is, the minute people see ‘home invasion’, they become naturally concerned and discuss on social media and it’s then raised that it’s an issue out of control in our area — when it’s not.”

Graffiti vandals recently targeted Wallan skatepark. Picture: Facebook

The vandals trashed the skate park toilets. Picture: Facebook

Sen-Sgt Conlin’s tips for anyone wanting to better safeguard themselves included installing CCTV cameras, keeping unattended cars locked at all times, storing garage remotes securely and out of sight, submitting an absence from residence form online before going away.

“Vehicles need to be secured and for some reason, Nissan Navara utes can be a target, so ensure they are kept in a position where they are not easily accessible and if possible have added security,” he said.

He stressed the importance of sharing information with police rather than relying solely on social media to catch the crooks.

“We want to know where the crime is and work with the public, not for them to just be scared and put it up on social media where police don’t always get to see it,” he said.

“People at times put pictures up (on Facebook) they haven't even sent to us – if they don’t tell us, we don’t know.”