Middle Park residents pay private security company to patrol neighbourhood at night

Residents in affluent Melbourne suburbs are forking out their own cash for private security to patrol their neighbourhood after dark, as the crime rate skyrockets.

Fed-up residents smashed by a soaring crime wave across Melbourne’s suburbs are increasingly hiring private security companies to patrol the streets at night.

There are now several suburbs and individual housing estates across the city forking out cash for specialist security firms to respond to criminal incidents overnight in their own cars.

A surge in crime across Melbourne, including home invasions, car thefts and aggravated burglaries, accompanied with under-resourced police is leaving some residents on edge.

Crime across Melbourne jumped nearly 20 per cent, the Whitehorse area rose 17.5 per cent while the Mornington Peninsula spiked by 29.1 per cent over the past year.

Other private security companies have already been patrolling areas in Werribee, Wyndham Vale, Camberwell, Hawthorn, Toorak, Brighton, Caulfield and Balwyn for months.

Middle Park resident Adrian King with the Monjon mobile patrol car. Picture: Tony Gough

A four-week trial of additional security patrols kicked off in Middle Park this week with anxious residents chipping in to pay for the overnight crew to catch and deter crooks.

A marked patrol car has been circling the luxury inner suburb to catch home invaders, aggravated burglars and any other dodgy criminal activity.

Overall crimes in Middle Park alone have almost doubled, rising over the past year by almost 76 per cent.

Property damage in Middle Park doubled, theft increased by more than 90 per cent and burglaries rose by more than 50 per cent in that suburb.

Adrian King from the Preserving Middle Park Village, who have enlisted Monjon Australia to conduct the night time patrols, said locals were fed up.

He said 100 residents had signed up for the patrols since Christmas Day.

“What ultimately led to this security initiative were local residents’ concerns with the state of our judiciary, concerns that were expressed at a local community meeting last month,” he said.

“Hence prevention better than cure because today the existing deterrents appear inadequate.”

Security crews are being asked to patrol a growing number of residential areas. Picture: Tony Gough

Grant Burton, who has worked in security for 25 years, said his crew, Your Protection Group, have been asked to patrol an increasing number of residential areas.

He said crooks know that police are struggling to commit to proactive patrols at night given their current resourcing woes.

“We are growing, we now look after three estates across Melbourne and have been approached recently by more estates in the southeast,” he said.

“The right security car and company can be a visible deterrent for criminals.

“The presence alone can distract and deter from a criminal being comfortable at night, breaking into cars and homes.

“There’s definitely a shift, criminals know that police aren’t going to be patrolling these areas at night.”

Mr King says 100 residents have signed up for the patrols since Christmas Day. Picture: Tony Gough

Victoria Police said Middle Park was “an overwhelmingly safe place to live”.

“We understand any crime is a concern for the community, especially when people are in their own home,” a statement read.

“It is important to recognise Middle Park remains an overwhelmingly safe place to live. The suburb recorded one residential aggravated burglary offence in the last 12 months compared with three the previous year.”

But the police union said residents forking out their own cash for patrols “is an indictment on the government’s failure to properly resource our police force.”

“The consequence we’re now seeing is neighbourhoods banding together to fund their own private security, and not for the first time. This is simply unacceptable.”

The state government said the force was backed by a record $4.5bn with more than 3600 new officers.

“We understand any sort of offending causes concern in the community. Police will be where they are needed most, when they are needed most,” a spokesperson said.

“Only one party closes police stations and refuses to fund Victoria Police’s workforce – and that’s Brad Battin’s Liberals.”