Belconnen Police Station will again establish a dedicated six-person Beats patrol team over the Christmas and New Year period as part of a proactive initiative to deal with anti-social and criminal behaviour.
The initiative will run from December 10 to January 25, which will see the Beats team patrol areas such as local shopping centres, car parks and bus interchanges throughout Belconnen over the Christmas and New Year period, with its main focus on the busy Belconnen Town Centre and Westfield shopping centre.
The aim is to provide a high level of police visibility within Belconnen’s busiest retail areas over the festive season.
Last year the Belconnen-based Beats team was a resounding success with over 180 incidents attended. As a result of these incidents there were 11 arrests, nine summons issued, five search warrants executed, and one First Instance Warrant executed.
Belconnen Operations Support Sergeant Paul Hutcheson said that high visibility police patrolling of the retail areas was a proven deterrent to opportunistic criminal behavior and put police patrols in among the shoppers when activity was at its greatest.
“Over the lead-up to the Christmas-New Year and beyond that, much of our response work is around Belconnen’s large retail zones and the Emu Bank area anyway so it makes good sense to have the crews out there, actively patrolling and creating that visible police presence,” Sergeant Hutcheson said.
Anyone who sees anti-social behaviour or crimes in Belconnen and requires police attendance is urged to call ACT Policing on 131-444. If it’s a potential life-threatening emergency, then dial Triple Zero.
21 November 2023 |
