Bec Judd says she welcomes announcement of 500 extra Victoria Police officers
Influencer Bec Judd has explained what prompted her campaign against violent crime in Brighton and why she is shining a light on the issue.
Victoria
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Influencer Bec Judd has spoken out after her spat with Premier Daniel Andrews over crime in Bayside.
Judd told The Australian: “I’m glad my voice has shone a light on the escalating aggravated burglaries in Bayside”.
“We are thankful for low non-aggressive crime rates, the increasing nature of home invasion-type crimes in our local community is what makes residents, particularly women, feel unsafe.
“I welcome Operation Ibis and the extra 500 police promised to the people of Victoria.”
Tina Nettlefold, wellknown interior stylist, philanthropist and businesswoman, has previously been a victim of a home burglary in Brighton.
“I’m on high alert,’’ she said.
“When you don’t have a police station present it opens you up to be a target.
“We were robbed and asleep upstairs a few years ago.
“There are a lot of break-ins and attempted break-ins in the area and there’s a lot more discussion about it. It’s not just in Brighton, it’s happening in a lot of parts of Melbourne.”
Stats show Brighton’s crime rate
A Herald Sun analysis of the latest Crime Statistics Agency data reveals there were two aggravated burglaries a week in the Bayside local government area in 2021, which includes Brighton – where Mrs Judd lives – and the suburbs of Hampton and Sandringham.
Of the 105 aggravated burglaries last year, there were four home invasions, which is when more than one offender breaks into a home.
The year before (2020) there were 97 aggravated burglaries, compared to just 50 in 2012.
The Bayside area has one of the lowest crime rates in the state and offences have decreased 23 per cent from 2020 to 2021.
Non-aggravated residential burglary – offences without a weapon – reduced from 258 in 2020 to 233 last year and motor vehicle thefts decreased from 201 to 163 year on year. Theft from a motor vehicle also reduced from 972 in 2020 to 739 in 2021.
But sexual offences also increased from 110 in 2020 to 126 in 2021.
The Premier was earlier this week accused of dismissing Mrs Judd’s concerns about the Brighton area being unsafe.
“So sick of the rapes, bashings and home invasions at the hands of gangs in Bayside. The state government don’t seem to care,” Mrs Judd posted on Instagram. “We feel unsafe.”
Mr Andrews said: “The most recent crime statistics released by an independent agency would not support those sweeping assessments about patterns of crime”.
Brighton Liberal MP James Newbury said: “This confirmation contradicts the Premier and underlines calls from the local community for a new Brighton police station”.
It comes as two teenagers were charged after police fired shots at a car in St Kilda after a home invasion in Cochrane St, Brighton, early on Saturday.
It was the second home invasion in Brighton within days.
Locals including social media influencer and lawyer Zana Pali on Monday called for a police station to be opened in Brighton.
Victoria Police closed Brighton police station in 2010.
The state government announced it would recruit an additional 502 new police officers and 50 PSOs in this year’s budget, but it is yet to decide where they will be stationed.
A Victoria Police spokeswoman said: “In 2021, there were 200 less homes burgled in the Bayside area in comparison to 2019. Last year, there was a 10-year-low in home burglaries in the Bayside area”.
“The increase in aggravated burglaries can be attributed to growth in population and as a result of more people being inside the home due to the pandemic,” she said.
“Given the public health orders in place throughout 2020 and 2021, this resulted in an increase in aggravated burglaries, however the overwhelming majority of them are not confrontational.”
Victoria Police confirmed there were 11 home invasions in the Bayside area between 2017 and 2021.
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