You and I can really help to reduce crime. You can do this safely and anonymously if you wish. From watching and noting suspicious strangers, (remember, most break-ins to houses happen in the daytime), noting the Rego number, and the colour, make and age of cars parked in quiet side-streets that are not usually there, to calling the Graffiti hotline, you can help rid our lovely area of crime and the distress and worry it causes!
CrimeStoppers is the choice to call if you want to remain anonymous. They have a national call-centre so need to know where you are. They will refer you to the local police. They offer rewards for information leading to big crime busts, so will give you a reference number if this is appropriate. For petty crime and vandalism, the local station should be contacted. This IS worthwhile doing because they can get a picture of what is happening in a particular area, and your information can be another piece of the jigsaw. So even if you hear nothing further, be sure that accurate information can be very valuable . CrimeStoppers are on 1 800 333 000. Coomera Police Station is on 5519 5555, after-hours police contact is on 5581 2999.
For graffiti, our council gives a very fast response on their email site. (See the earlier blog below) If you can email a photograph, all the better, because often a "tag" identifies the culprit, and his/her area of operation. The police and the council are very keen to crack down on graffiti and try to get it removed as soon as possible. As said previously, on council land, this is very quickly removed, but on private land, the owner has to request help and can obtain free of charge, a removal kit. Where an owner cannot do the actual removal for themselves, perhaps due to age or infirmity, the council will help. Graffiti Hotline number is 5581 7998, and the email address for photos or notification is graffiti@goldcoast.qld.gov.au
Our next meeting is on 20th May at the Helensvale Community Centre at 7pm. Please try to spare the time to join us - there is a lot of interesting and useful information to be learned, lovely people to meet (especially good if you are new to this area), free refreshments, access to our own Police Liason Officer and a local politician to ask your questions or put your worries to directly. AND IT IS ALL FREE - with no charges, raffles or collection, and no obligations.
Margaret McDermott
