A Clyde North local whose home was violently invaded and whose personal safety was threatened has warned crime is getting “really bad” in the suburb, saying the area’s new police station should be open to the public.
Annie-Maureen moved to Clyde North with her husband Rod about six years ago, and in the early morning of Friday 23 January, their house was violently broken into by two unknown men, who later assaulted Rod and threatened both at gunpoint for a car key.
Rod was struck and knocked unconscious, suffering head and face injuries and bleeding heavily.
The intruders made off with a wallet and garage fob but were unable to steal the victim’s vehicle as it was fitted with a club lock. They were last seen fleeing the scene in what was believed to be a maroon-coloured sedan, towards Patterson Road.
The police believed that the offenders had been casing an estate in Clyde, and it was “completely optimistic” that they had targeted this particular address.
“It’s (crime) getting really bad (in Clyde North),” Annie-Maureen said.
“And what annoys me is we’ve got a police station out there. That’s just been built. And it can’t be totally manned.
“Like, people can’t go in there, because they’re short-staffed.”
When asked if making the police station open would make the suburb a bit safer, the 59-year-old said: “It has to be.”
After years of waiting, Clyde North Police Station was completed late last year, and it is not open to the public, with members instead urged to use nearby Cranbourne Police Station for front-counter services.
The issue was raised by Berwick MP and Shadow Minister for Police and Corrections, Brad Battin, in an adjournment debate in Parliament in December.
“If you want them (the police) to get there (Clyde and Clyde North) at the moment, you are still calling them from Cranbourne or Narre Warren. But let us be honest, Narre Warren is partly shut at the moment as well and not open to the public because of the renovations going on there,” he said.
“If you need to get a police car down there, the coppers in the area know what all the community know: you are going to get stuck on Clyde Road. You cannot get down Narre Warren-Cranbourne Road.
“One of the most common emails I get from people out in Clyde and Clyde North is about the amount of crime that has been happening in the local community – the aggravated burglaries, the car thefts, the continuous ongoing crimes that people have seen every single day.
“At one stage, I know that one in 19 houses had been burgled through the area; I am sure that stat has changed since then.”
A week ago, in the same suburb, a truck driver was assaulted in the early morning in front of his house, left with a fractured skull and a broken nose.
The victim’s sister later told the media that the offenders were there “basically just to kill him”.
Multiple similar isolated incidents in the area were covered by major outlets last year.
In October last year, a family in Clyde were left “shattered and scared” after masked offenders repeatedly attempted to break into their home.
According to the latest figures for the year ending September 2025 from the Crime Statistics Agency Victoria, burglaries and break-and-enter offences in postcode 3978, which includes Clyde and Clyde North, rose by almost 25 per cent over the past year, increasing from 351 to 438 incidents.
Within that category, residential aggravated burglaries recorded the sharpest rise, jumping by 60 per cent.
Theft offences also increased significantly, climbing 34 per cent from 1,093 to 1,466 incidents.
Longer-term data show the crime growth is even more stark. When Annie-Maureen moved to the area six years ago, around 2019, there were about 214 burglaries and break-and-enter offences recorded. By 2025, that figure had nearly doubled.
Theft offences have risen even more sharply over the same period, increasing from 434 incidents in 2019 to 1,466 in 2025.
The surge has coincided with rapid population growth in Clyde and Clyde North, which have been among Melbourne’s fastest-growing suburbs over the past decade, adding thousands of new residents each year.
The 2021 Census recorded more than 31,000 residents in Clyde North, and the suburb’s population is projected to more than double to more than 68,000 by 2026.
The growth has also made Clyde North one of the most culturally diverse suburbs in the state, with residents from dozens of backgrounds settling in the area over the past decade.
In the 2021 Census, about 18 per cent of Clyde North’s population came from an Indian background.
Asked what she believed was driving the rise in crime beyond population growth, Annie-Maureen said the suburb’s rapid growth meant many residents were still new to the country, which she believed offenders exploited by targeting people they perceived as more vulnerable.
When asked if policing in the area kept pace with population growth and when the Clyde North police station would be open to the public, Casey Local Area Commander Insp Stu Richards said Victoria Police acknowledges overall crime is higher than police and the community would like across the state, and Clyde and Clyde North are not immune.
“There aren’t many things more terrifying than having an intruder in your home, and Victoria Police understands the ongoing impact this has on victims,” the commander said.
“Clyde North reception counter is not currently open; however, police work from the station and continue to patrol the local community 24/7. The best place for highly skilled police officers is out in the community, preventing crime and keeping people safe, not sitting behind a desk.
“Cranbourne is open 24/7 and is approximately 8.5km away. In an emergency, the community is always directed to call Triple Zero (000) or, for non-urgent reports, call the Police Assistance Line on 131 444.
“Operation Trinity members are out every night targeting burglars and car thieves who sneak into homes to steal car keys, including in Clyde North. Last year, this led to the arrest of 612 burglars and car thieves a combined 1,436 times. That equates to almost four burglars and car thieves arrested every single day.
“While confrontation rates during aggravated home burglaries occur in less than 5 per cent of cases, any incident where residents are injured – like the one in Clyde North – is one too many.”
The State Government was contacted for comment.
