IDIOTS VANDALISE ARTHUR HEAD

 

Drunken idiots left a trail of damage and empty beer and liquor bottles at Fremantle’s historic Arthur Head on the weekend that had local artists shaking their head and asking how much longer this will continue until the City of Fremantle installs CCTV and additional lighting in the area.

Most of the solar lights along the Bathers Beach dune path were vandalised, a car had its back, site and windscreen windows smashed and several windows of the J Shed art studios were damaged by rocks. Jenny Dawson who is working on a huge public artwork for Elizabeth Quay in Perth was clearly worried that the work she and Sandra Black have been working on for many months might get vandalised before it is being installed early next year.

One door of the brand new cute change rooms next to Kidogo Arthouse was also damaged by the mindless morons who get a kick out of vandalism.

Roel Loopers

FREO CRIME PREVENTION IMPROVEMENT NEEDED

The City of Fremantle Community Safety and Crime Prevention Plan was on the agenda of the SGSC last night with Councillors expressing disappointment that very little had been achieved in the areas of street drinking and anti social behaviour. The need to focus on measurable annual outcomes and have a smaller target rather than a broader field was also seen as necessary to improve the Fremantle CBD.

It was rightly pointed out that the City might need to separate the CBD from outer areas, such as Beaconsfield, that also have social problems and need to be targeted.

It was agreed the focus  in the inner city should be on street drinking, anti social behaviour, street lighting, violence and theft.

I am not sure how much impact a few local council safety officers will have on this as it is really the responsibility of the WA Police. Improved street lighting in certain areas would be helpful though and will reduce the perception some pockets of the CBD are dangerous at night. It might even be possible to use motion sensors to add light only when people enter an area instead of having lights blazing all night in less frequented parts of the city.

Roel Loopers