‘Fed up’: Man calls for more to be done to address crime in Palmerston after third break-in in three years at his home

A Territory man says he is at a loss as to how he can prevent his home from being broken into after the house he has spent thousands of dollars fortifying was targeted again.

Palmerston man Radhesh Krishnan had his home broken into for the third time in three years, and he says he's at a loss as to how he can prevent it from happening again. Picture: Glenn Campbell

A PALMERSTON man says he is at a loss as to how he can prevent his home from being broken into after the house he spent thousands of dollars fortifying was targeted for the third time in three years this week, and has called for more to be done to address crime in the community.

Driver resident Radhesh Krishnan, a 26-year-old project engineer who has lived in Palmerston for 17 years, said he had arrived home just after 7.30pm on Wednesday to find a group had caused significant damage attempting to break into his home before fleeing when his car pulled into the driveway.

“The security screen has been pulled open – they’ve snapped the lock and then pulled the screen off the track – and there’s a big gaping hole in the glass from where a paver has been thrown through the glass,” he said.

“Insurance will cover the cost of the damage, but I’m going to guess it will be more than $5000 … and if they have to take the entire door frame out because it has been too damaged by all three break-ins, it could be more than $10,000.

“My insurance premium is going to go up significantly.”

CCTV FOOTAGE FROM THE INCIDENT:

Mr Krishnan said it was the third time his house had been broken into since he had bought it in June 2017, after previous incidents in May 2018 and April 2020.

The property was locked up in all three instances, and since the first break-in has been further secured with CCTV cameras around the home and security screens on all glass doors for a sum of about $6500.

Mr Krishnan said the successive break-ins had taken a heavy toll on him and he was “fed up” they were continuing to happen despite the lengths he had gone to make his home more secure.

“The impact on me hasn’t been that great,” he said.

“I still haven’t recovered mentally from the last one.

“I have nightmares of being broken into, and pretty much every day when I come home from work I check the back door and make sure it hasn’t been smashed.

Palmerston man Radhesh Krishnan has had his home broken into for the third time in three years. Picture: Glenn Campbell

“Every spare moment I have at work, I’m checking the CCTV feed on my phone.

“My parents brought me to Darwin to get away from that kind of stuff … but this is no better. If I had less connections here, I’d probably move away.”

Mr Krishnan said crime, especially youth crime, was a serious issue “all over Palmerston” but he felt little was being done to address the issue.

“I feel like the government has failed me, because … I should have the basic human right to live in peace and not worry about my safety every day of the week,” he said.

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NT Police said the break-in at Mr Krishnan’s property was still under investigation.

Police, Fire and Emergency Services Minister Nicole Manison said the government was “investing heavily in community safety and breaking the cycle of crime”, including through adding more officers and resources to the police force, installing more CCTV cameras and strengthening youth bail laws with new measures.