At least two private schools are warning parents and carers to be vigilant after students were attacked and robbed in Melbourne’s inner south, including at Chadstone shopping centre.
Hawthorn independent boys school Scotch College and Glen Iris girls school Sacre Coeur have sent letters to parents about violent attacks in Melbourne’s east and south-east, telling them to ensure their children were alert.
File photo of police at Chadstone shopping centre. Credit: Chris Hopkins
The principal of Catholic boys’ school Salesian College, located in the suburb of Chadstone, has also confirmed that students were assaulted at the shopping centre in June. The school is working with authorities over the attacks.
Two Scotch College students were held at knifepoint and robbed in separate incidents this month, prompting the school to issue a letter to parents warning them to be vigilant about student safety.
Principal Scott Marsh said the two students had been left “shaken”.
“They are doing fine and getting on with life, but it’s a reminder to them they need to be careful,” Marsh told ABC radio.
Scotch College has written to parents asking them to talk to their children about being alert to their surroundings.Credit: Joe Armao
On August 6, a year 8 student was attacked by a couple of boys on Glenferrie Road, Hawthorn and had his runners stolen, the principal said.
The following day, a year 10 student was returning home in his school uniform when he was attacked by a group of people.
Police confirmed that a 16-year-old boy was approached by a group of three young males who were wearing ski masks on Glenferrie Road about 7.40pm on August 7.
“One of the offenders made demands for the victim’s mobile phone while another produced a knife,” a police spokesman said of the armed robbery in Hawthorn.
“The victim was pushed to the ground, punched, and kicked before he handed over the phone and the offenders left the scene.”
The teenager was bruised and had abrasions and went to a nearby police station to report it.
The Scotch College letter called on parents and guardians to ensure students were “alert and aware of their surroundings and remind them to seek assistance if they feel unsafe”.
“The safety of our boys is of utmost importance to us all,” the letter read.
“I ask that you have a conversation with your son about personal safety.”
Sacre Coeur also emailed parents on August 15 warning them about “a number of recent violent incidents” at Chadstone shopping centre.
“We acknowledge that a number of our students are often at Chadstone shopping centre both during the week and on weekends,” the school’s wellbeing co-ordinator wrote.
“Can I encourage you all to have open, honest conversations about your daughter’s safety when they are out in public.”
Two parents from two private schools in the area told The Age their children were robbed at Chadstone recently.
One of the parents, Carolyn Liem, said her teenage son was robbed by a group of boys at the Hoyts cinema seating area in June.
The group told him to unlock his phone and he feared they had a knife, so he handed the device over, Liem said.
She said her son, who now avoids shopping centres, constantly heard stories of kids being beaten and robbed of jackets, phones and shoes.
“They target boys at a similar age, they look like they are friends ... if anyone was to look at them they aren’t going to pick up on it,” she said.
She said the incidents weren’t just happening in quiet corners, but in food courts at shopping centres.
“Kids don’t feel like they can go out and have fun as kids. It’s something six months ago I wouldn’t have thought was around, it’s out with vengeance at the moment.”
A spokesman from Vicinity Centres, which manages the shopping centre, said the centre had assisted police by providing CCTV footage of an incident at Chadstone on August 2.
“The safety of our visitors, retailers, teams and the wider community is always our priority. As the matter is the subject of a police investigation, we are unable to provide any further detail,” the spokesman said.
Salesian College principal Mark Ashmore confirmed some of his students were assaulted at the shopping centre in June.
The school worked with police, the Department of Education and the students’ families to support them.
“The safety and wellbeing of students is Salesian College Chadstone’s highest priority. Proactively, the college engages students in curriculum programs that promote safety ... in public places,” Ashmore said.
“As always, we remain vigilant in relation to any risks to our students.”
Police frequently patrol shopping centres such as Chadstone.Credit: Joe Armao
Crime in the shopping area of Chadstone is among the lowest of all major shopping precincts in Victoria, police said.
There were 60 criminal offences at shopping sites in Chadstone in the year to March, which were mostly property or deception offences, the police spokesman said. There were five crimes against people.
He said police were not aware of ongoing trends of students being targeted on Glenferrie Road.
“Pleasingly, overall, robberies in Victoria remain significantly below pre-pandemic levels – down 36.8 per cent from the 12 months to March 2020,” he said.
“While this significant decrease is pleasing, we do know that youth are historically overrepresented, as both offenders and victims in robberies.”
He said robberies most often occurred at busy community locations such as transport hubs, shopping centres and parks.
Police recently conducted a public safety operation called Operation Maverick at Chadstone shopping centre and surrounding bus interchanges with the dog squad, transit police and local officers last Friday.
The operations were targeted at public transport hubs to detect and deter anti-social behaviour. No arrests were made, and only four penalty notices were issued for traffic-related offences.
The Age has contacted Scotch College and Sacre Coeur for comment.
Police are calling for anyone who witnessed the Hawthorn robbery, or those with further information, to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or submit a confidential report online at www.crimestoppersvic.com.au.
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