Statement
I moved a motion at the 25 August 2025 Knox Council meeting about the increasing crime and community safety concerns in Rowville, Scoresby, and throughout the City of Knox.
Residents are telling me they’ve had enough. Some no longer feel safe doing the things they’ve always done. Older residents feel more vulnerable in their own homes. Parents are worried about their kids getting home safely.
The statistics are clear: youth crime in Knox has risen by almost half within a year. The stories I’m hearing from the Rowville and Scoresby communities are real, and the effects on crime victims can last a lifetime.
Families woken in the night by intruders. Cars stolen. Anti-social behaviour and violence. Home invasions, aggravated burglaries, criminal damage, assault, thefts from businesses, and drug- and alcohol-related crime.
I recognise the proactive efforts of Victoria Police’s Eastern Region Division 2 in establishing a new and vital Local Safety Committee that will bring together councillors, council officers, community agencies, and the Police to share relevant information, respond to emerging issues, and plan and coordinate crime prevention and community safety initiatives across Knox.
According to the Crime Statistics Agency (and the statistics updated since I spoke at the August Council meeting), crimes committed by children in Knox rose 48% in the past year, from 550 (June 2024) to 813 (June 2025). We are not alone in this – across Victoria, youth crime has surged to its highest level in more than 30 years.
Overall, there were 8,394 criminal incidents in Knox in the year ending June 2025, representing a 13% increase compared to the previous year.
Council is not trying to be the Police, but we must work more actively and closely with them for the benefit of our residents. I am dedicated to voicing and advocating for our community’s concerns about crime and safety, while making sure the Council supports the efforts of our hardworking and stretched local Police.
Transcript
Edited from the meeting's auto-generated captions.
Yes, please. Thank you, Mayor. We've got a bit of a problem with crime in Knox, and I'm moving this notice of motion tonight because the residents and people of our community that I've been speaking to are telling me that they're increasingly feeling unsafe and are worried about rising crime in the municipality. Community safety is one of the top issues that residents have raised with me over the past 12 to 18 months, and I think if it matters to our residents then it should matter to Council.
On this issue the facts do somewhat speak for themselves. According to the Crime Statistics Agency, crimes committed by children in Knox more than doubled in the past year, from 441 to 909 incidents, and that's the highest level since electronic records began in 1993. Of course, we're not alone in meeting this challenge. Across Victoria, youth crime has surged to its highest levels in more than 30 years. Overall in Knox, there were 8,523 criminal incidents in the year ending March 2025, which is up 16.4 per cent compared to the previous year.
Now, we could spend the night talking about crime statistics. But this matter of course isn't just about numbers. These crimes are happening in our neighbourhoods, in our major shopping centres, and at our local shopping strips. Families woken up in the night, cars stolen, antisocial behaviour and increasing aggression. People have been left feeling unsafe. Our community is feeling the impact. People tell me they no longer feel as safe doing the things they always have. Parents worry about their kids getting home safely. Older residents tell me they feel vulnerable in their own homes.
At a Council level, we've been picking up this shift in sentiment through our community engagement surveys, where perceptions of safety across our community are in decline. The Deputy Commissioner of Regional Policing, Bob Hill, said just a few months ago: "The overall crime rates in Victoria are totally unacceptable. As a society, we simply cannot tolerate this level of offending. The time has come for Victorians to feel safe in their homes again." And he is right. We cannot simply say this is someone else's problem. Council can and must play its role in supporting the efforts of our dedicated and hardworking local police.
As the notice of motion outlines, our health and wellbeing plan commits us to being a strong voice for safety in our community. We must listen to our residents, work closely with the police and ensure that our community knows this Council stands with them when it comes to reducing crime. And that's exactly what I hope this notice of motion will start to do. It recognises the reality of what's happening in our suburbs and on our streets. It expresses our strong support for the work of Victoria Police at a local level.
And I think the crux of this is in point 4, Mayor, where it recognises and endorses the proactive work of Victoria Police's Eastern Region Division 2, who are in the process of establishing a new local safety committee that will bring together councillors, council officers, community agencies and police to share relevant information, respond to emerging issues and plan and coordinate crime prevention and community safety initiatives across Knox.
And point 6, which is a bit further down, I think is a really important one for our community. It is about how we build a mechanism, and officers might seek to consider the best possible process, that allows our residents a simple and accessible way to report what they're seeing and hearing in their streets, report their concerns, and make sure those concerns from our residents go straight to the table where police, councillors and agencies are coming together to talk about these problems. We're of course not trying to be the police, but we're backing them and giving our community a stronger voice in that conversation.
I believe our residents want us to take action on this. They want us to stand with and support our police. Above all, they want to feel safe in their own homes and when they're out and about in our suburbs. This notice of motion is just one step, but I think it's a vital one in ensuring our residents' voices are heard and that, side by side with police, we prioritise the safety of our community. Thank you.