The armed robbery of Lanyon Vikings Club on 2 October last year. (still from CCTV footage)
It says the annual report is a wake-up call for the Government, accusing it of being asleep at the wheel about the increased demands on policing services.
“Our stations are grossly understaffed and I am genuinely concerned about what effect this shortage is having on my members’ safety and mental wellbeing,” a spokesperson says.
“The recent data in the ACT Policing Annual Report 2016-17 shows us in black and white that there have been significant increases in all assaults types and robberies. That means more people in the ACT in the past year, have been victims of kidnapping, robbery offences and assaults at home.
“It’s unacceptable, the public expect and deserve to feel safe when moving around our city.”
If policing numbers were not addressed immediately, the Association fears that the increases seen recently are just the tip of the iceberg.
ACT Policing has responded as best it can, creating a task force to deal with aggravated burglaries and Taskforce Nemesis to take on bikie violence. But despite bringing some offenders to court, the suburbs are still being terrorised by bandits with guns, as well seeing as some daring robberies such as the Casey Market Town ram raid in which the culprits made off with an ATM.
The clubs in particular have been targeted, with the two armed men forcing their way into the Mawson Club on Christmas Eve, threatening the manager and security guard and fleeing with cash. In October the Lanyon Vikings Club was robbed at gunpoint for the second time in four months while in September the Raiders Club Belconnen was hit.
The Raiders Club Weston, which had already been a victim of a similar heist to the Mawson Club in May last year, only avoided another robbery in December when the staff sealed the glass doors. The would-be bandit left but not before firing a shot into the doors.
And in Fyshwick on 30 December, two men attempted to steal a safe through a window at the Dominos pizza store, before escaping in a stolen van and ramming police cars in their getaway.
No doubt about it – there are some serious villains at large.
And while the anti-terror budget seems to be unlimited, the people of Canberra might well ask, what about keeping our suburbs safe from crime that is actually happening and on the rise?
More active police muscle, as opposed to desk-bound officers, would be a good start, as well as helping the desperate and the losers in Canberra’s success story.
Do you think Canberra has a growing crime problem? Will more police help? Is security too lax in our clubs? Share your thoughts by commenting below.
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