Sad state of the 21st Century

Sergeant Gary Thwaites

I RECENTLY heard about a young woman who was driving home from work late at night, when she was flagged down by a dishevelled looking man, lying in the middle of a deserted street. The woman was suspicious so she locked her car doors and called for police assistance. Suddenly the male clutched at his chest and collapsed. She then called and ambulance and the man was taken to hospital, where he passed away from a heart attack. She was truly devastated and felt a great deal of remorse that she could have done far more if given the opportunity again. But she was concerned the man may have been in company with others, staging an incident so they could rob her of her valuables or car, as reported in recent times by the media. It is worth pondering, that 20 to 30 years ago most people would have stopped and helped the man without a second thought for their own safety. Unfortunately, nowadays there are so many lowlife scumbags out there willing to prey on good samaritans that people are rightly putting their own safety first, often to the detriment of a genuine victim, for fear for fear of falling victim themselves to these predators. People always talk about the good old days, not always, but sometimes, in instances like this, the days gone by were clearly better. Palmyra police LPT2 Sergeant Gary Thwaites KARDINYA In the early hours of last Tuesday, police were called by a 97-year-old woman who reported a person breaking into her home. Police officers, along with police dog Rumble, attended and on hearing noises from the yard of a home in Park Lane, PD Rumble went down a laneway and indicated that the offender was close by. It is alleged as the offender went to jump the fence, PD Rumble attempted to apprehend him but the offender retreated. The offender jumped onto the roof of the home before jumping onto the roof of an adjoining home. He then jumped off the roof and hid out of sight. PD Rumble was deployed and he located the offender hiding near the fence in the backyard of a home. Officers took the man into custody and a 38-year-old Hilton man was charged with one count each of Aggravated Burglary and Commit and Stealing. He is due to appear in the Fremantle Magistrates Court on May 5. BICTON Handbags, wallets, cash, passports, jewellery, mobile phones, iPads, tools, a tennis racquet, a car fridge, Go Pro, laptop, sunglasses and an iPod were stolen from cars in the subdistrict last week, prompting police to issue a warning not to leave valuables in cars. The message from police is, if you leave something in sight, they will smash a window to get to it. Seven cars were broken into during the week at the Blackwall Reach car park, as well as one at the Point Walter car park and one in Foss Street. More than 40 other thefts from cars were reported in the sub-district in the past week. PALMYRA A stolen Subaru Forester was driven into the entrance of a business in Sainsbury Road and goods were stolen from inside. Police say the vehicle was later recovered. A Canning Highway restaurant was also burgled and a home in Tamar Street was broken into in the early hours of last Wednesday morning. A man, described as slim and about 185cm tall, was seen leaving the scene. WILLAGEE Three juveniles, aged between 14 and 15 years, were seen leaving the scene of a burglary in Webber Street last Tuesday. Anyone with information should contact police on 131 444 or Crime Stoppers.