St Kilda’s mean streets: ‘Abused walking your dog in the day … people smoking ice on the corner’
Residents of the beachside suburb with “an evil side” claim they are increasingly prisoners in their homes amid violence and public drug use, making life in St Kilda as “horrendous” as a Mad Max film.
Police & Courts
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Desperate St Kilda residents are pleading for drastic action from authorities amid a spate of deaths and violent incidents in the heart of the trouble-plagued suburb.
It comes as police probe the suspected fatal overdose of a man aged in his 60s last week.
He was found dead inside the Beach Hotel on Fitzroy St about midday on March 12 but a post mortem will be conducted to determine his official cause of death.
His death follows a violent brawl caught on camera nearby in the Acland St Mall which left another 52-year-old man dead.
Residents have since branded Acland and Fitzroy streets as “downright dangerous and disturbing” hotspots for public drug use and violence that are now worse than the once infamous Gatwick Hotel – a notorious boarding house that was once riddled with murder, rape and prolific drug use.
A litany of reports details people using drugs, particularly ice, on public streets, defecating in public, assaulting passers by and several break-ins at homes and businesses.
One resident who has lived in St Kilda for more than 10 years said the two deaths and her own close encounters meant she was often scared to leave her home.
“You’ll get abused walking your dog on a Sunday in the middle of the day. I have seen people smoking crack ice on the corner of the street in full view,” she said.
“It’s like we’re living in some kind of Mad Max film. It’s horrendous.”
She said residents believed pleas for help to police and Port Phillip Council were falling on deaf ears due to the high volume of crime in the area.
“We love St Kilda. But it’s just got this evil side to it and we’re not being listened to,” she said.
Leo Martino said he and his wife felt forced to sell their apartment in the heart of the inner city suburb as a direct result of rampant public drug use and lack of police intervention.
“We got to the point where we had enough and couldn’t handle it anymore,” he said.
“We were like prisoners inside our own home.”
Bain and Co Pharmacy owner Charlotte Frajman, who has lived in St Kilda for 33 years, said the current issues facing the community were worse than what occurred at the Gatwick Hotel, which was bought by television show The Block and made over in 2018.
“That was a piece of cake compared to what we’re dealing with today,” she said.
“The last 18 months have been unbearable – it’s never been worse. We’re watching 33 and a half years of really hard work go down the toilet and it breaks my heart.”
Port Phillip Local Area Commander Acting Inspector Ely Reynolds said overall crime in St Kilda was at its lowest in a decade.
“Despite these low levels of offending, local police and specialist units continue to run targeted proactive operations in St Kilda, including visible foot patrols, drug detection dogs, liquor licensing checks and covert activities,” he said.
But St Kilda, where more than 4100 different crimes were committed last year, remains the top suburb for crime in Port Phillip.
Police track live CCTV feeds throughout the area and conduct regular weekend operations targeting drug crime and assaults.
Port Phillip Council Mayor Heather Cunsolo said the council empathised with residents and traders who were concerned about crime and anti-social behaviour in St Kilda.
Ms Cunsolo said the council had conducted daily patrols by local laws officers and joint patrols when police had the staffing availability.
“There were 27 joint patrols in Fitzroy and Acland Street in January,” she said.
“We maintain an extensive CCTV system in St Kilda with four key precincts: Fitzroy St, Little Grey St, the foreshore and Acland St.
“We have advocated strongly to the state government for funding to upgrade and potentially expand this network as the technology is starting to age.”
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