WHITTLESEA hoons and criminals wait until the local police station is unmanned before misbehaving, according to a business leader.
Whittlesea Business Group president Trish Wileman said that after police knocked off in the afternoon, some people ran amok in the streets.
She is leading the push for Whittlesea to become a 24-hour station, claiming it can take 30 to 40 minutes for police from Mill Park to attend incidents in Whittlesea after hours.
“By then it is all over and the offenders have fled,” she said. “The hoons know what time the police finish and then do burn-outs in front of the police station. They have the police timetable down pat.”
She said businesses were being broken into after police finished, putting traders at risk of closing down.
“Small businesses can’t afford burglaries. Even if they have insurance, their premiums go up and it’s killing their businesses,” she said.
“The burglaries all happen overnight, and if someone sees something suspicious it takes ages for police to arrive from Mill Park.’’
