By BRIDGET SCOTT
TWO senior sergeants at Cranbourne have urged the community to help them in the fight to reduce crime.
Senior Sergeants Daniel Baynes and Phil Atkins are the faces at the forefront of the Cranbourne police station, and they’ve asked the community for their help.
Sen Sgt Baynes, who was previously stationed at Endeavour Hills, said high volume crime was a major focus for their team.
“Theft from car, theft of car and burglaries, as well as anti-social behaviour like graffiti,” he said.
“Family violence is also a problem, as well as road trauma.”
He said car crime was a major issue for police and that they needed the public’s assistance to help curb the problem.
Sen Sgt Baynes said Victoria Police statistics showed that between 2013 and 2014, there were 48,000 reports of theft from cars in Victoria with 41,000 of these having no signs of forced entry.
“This means between 75 and 80 per cent of cases were ones where cars were left unlocked,” he said.
Sen Sgt Atkins, an officer of 40 years, said police could only do so much.
“I am not going to come around and lock your cars and houses for you,” he said.
They also asked drivers to be mindful of where they left their car to avoid it being stolen.
“Park cars in well-lit areas, with people around and near cameras if possible,” Sen Sgt Baynes said.
They also asked the public to secure their homes properly to avoid burglaries and report any suspicious activities.
Sen Sgt Baynes said between 2013 and 2014 about $95 million worth of property was stolen from Victorian homes, a majority of which were left unlocked.
Police have injected an enormous amount of manpower into the area to try and stop crimes before they occur.
Operation Stance, which began just over a month ago, has had a huge impact on crime in the area.
Both men agreed they want to help the community which they work in.
“We want to keep the statistics going down,” Sen Sgt Atkins said.
“We care about our community.”
Cranbourne has a number of speciality units, including a Family Violence Unit as well as Traffic Management Unit which work to lower the rate of road trauma and domestic violence.
Sen Sgt Atkins said with the Easter period approaching, one of the most dangerous times on the road, police will be out as much as they can.
