Amarettos Restaurant owner Jackie Feltham appealed for the Ellenbrook |police station to be opened 24/7.
“Everything happens crime-wise after 4pm here,” the Aveley resident said.
“The police presence just isn’t there.” Ms Feltham, whose restaurant has been broken into twice, said police were “trying to ramp it (their presence) up” and there were “police coming from Midland” to help out.
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READ NOWShe had also spoken to local politicians about the crime.
Despite the area being “brilliant” with a “great community spirit”, there was a drug problem and “quite a few drug houses”.
She said “kids need occupying in Ellenbrook” and said people had been discussing about the need for something to be set aside for young people at the former Masters warehouse.
“Put in a bowling alley, roller skating, ice skating or cinemas would be great,” she said.
Crime on minds of main parties
BOTH major political parties have moved to have their say on crime in the lead-up to March’s State election.
Labor said it would move to have Ellenbrook and three other metropolitan police stations operate 24/7, with “a return to more traditional policing”.
Police Minister Liza Harvey countered that by saying Labor’s commitment would mean “less police officers will be responding to calls for assistance in Ellenbrook”.
The Government also promised last week that anyone who evaded police in a pursuit would get a mandatory minimum six-month jail term.
And Swan Hills MLA Frank Alban will hold a cyber crime forum in Ellenbrook next month in conjunction with the Council on the Ageing WA.
The forum will be held on Tuesday, February 21, from 10am-noon at Woodlake Community Centre, 2 Highpoint Boulevard, Ellenbrook.