Geraldton business owner calls for more police, judicial review commission amid continued crime

A Geraldton business owner says something needs to be done about crime in Geraldton, calling on the local member and the State Government to intervene.

On Tuesday night last week, a number of children were captured on CCTV footage outside Ocean Air on Chapman Road.

The footage shows youths throwing objects at the shopfront, damaging a door and window.

The vision received strong reaction from the community, with Ocean Air operations manager and former Liberal candidate for Geraldton Rob Dines surprised at the level of response.

“People contacting us in the street, at the sporting event, ring in the office here, private, messaging us online,” he said.

“This is a common occurrence, and Geraldton people are very familiar with this kind of property damage and vandalism and crime.

“People are just over it, they’re really quite sick of it.”

According to police, all the individuals involved were identified after the incident was reported to police, and were apprehended.

“Several of the offenders were under the age of criminal responsibility; we will be working with other agencies to raise concerns about the lack of supervision and ensure appropriate support measures are in place,” the statement read.

“One offender was of the age of criminal responsibility and has been dealt with through the judicial system.

“We acknowledge the frustration felt by many and remain committed to investigating crime and apprehending offenders, regardless of age.

“Our priority remains the safety and well-being of our community, and we will continue to work alongside relevant agencies to prevent future incidents.”

Mr Dines believed increasing the police presence in Geraldton would help the city, saying it has been done temporarily through the State Government’s Operation Regional Shield, which provided additional police resources during the summer.

“That was a really good move and a welcome move (for) all Geraldton people,” he said.

“I don’t see why that level of police resourcing shouldn’t be permanent.

“The visible presence of police is a definite deterrent.”

Mr Dines also called for a judicial review commission to be implemented to hold magistrates accountable for their decisions.

Police Minister Reece Whitby said he was committed to curbing this type of behaviour in Geraldton.

“Rest assured, police will continue to crack down on anti-social behaviour around shopping centres and retail precincts,” he said.

“We know the public is sick of this behaviour and that’s why we have committed to strengthening the laws around bail and establishing a nation-leading program in Geraldton to divert young people away from a life of crime.”

The State Government is undertaking the On Track to Thrive program in Geraldton to divert young children from being entrenched in the criminal justice system.

Meanwhile, establishing a Judicial Commission in WA was a priority, according to the State Government, where legislation was being drafted as a priority.

Geraldton MLA Kirrilee Warr said she was committed to raising issues like safety of the community to Parliament, and would continue to hold the relevant ministers to account.