By GEORGIA WESTGARTH
ARSON continues to plague Casey as a spate of torched stolen cars keeps the trend alight.
Police are currently investigating three car fires which occurred in the space of six days throughout the region.
The current series of car fires comes in the wake of reports of a 78 per cent increase in arson-related incidents on last year’s crime figures in the Cardinia Shire.
The latest crime statistics reveal that Casey experienced a 24 per cent hike in arson-related offences in that same period.
The most recent blaze has left a stolen car completely burnt out.
The stolen infiniti sedan Q60 was torched in Laurel Avenue, Doveton, just after midnight in the early hours of Monday 4 July.
Witnesses told police they observed a white Ford truck in the vicinity of the stolen car at the time of the blaze.
CFA and police attended the scene, and police say two males were observed near the car before it was set alight.
Detective Senior Sergeant Rob Clark told The News: “Setting a stolen car on fire is committing a further serious offence”.
“We’ve had a few car fires of late, and we pursue all avenues and launch prosecutions whenever possible,” Det Clark said.
The second incident, in the recent string of car fires, occurred in Wilson Street Berwick, about 2am on Wednesday 29 June.
But this car was not stolen.
The black Toyota station wagon was parked in a car port at the rear of a block of units at the time of the crime.
The owner of the car woke up to the sound of the blaze and smell of smoke, and the CFA was called to extinguish the fire.
That same day, hours earlier about 6.45pm in a secluded area in Muddy Gates Lane, Clyde, another car was torched on the side of the road.
This car was completely burnt out, and police are conducting an investigation.
