A majority of Wyndham residents don’t feel safe walking around the streets at night.
Data from the most recent VicHealth Survey reveals that during the day, 88 per cent of residents feel safe in their neighbourhood.
Once the sun goes down, though, that figure is slashed to 43.4 per cent.
Wyndham police’s Inspector Frank Sells said the police “completely understand” that some people feel unsafe walking by themselves at night. “There are less people around, less cars driving by and, of course, it’s dark,” he said. “All these factors combine to give people the perception they are less safe.”
Inspector Sells said the chance of becoming a victim of crime to an unknown person completely randomly was quite low.
“Unfortunately, the majority of crime that we see happens behind closed doors by people known to them, like family violence,” he said.
He wanted to reassure the community that there was a dedicated police presence 24 hours a day, and members were rostered based on need. “If there is more need at night, there are more police at night,” he said.
Offering advice to people who do choose to walk at night, Inspector Sells advised they stick to well-lit roads, avoid roads and paths without functioning streetlights, and regularly vary routes.
“When listening to music, only put the earphones in one ear,” he said.
“Keeping one ear free ensures that you remain aware of your surroundings so as to hear whether a person or vehicle is approaching.”
The inspector also recommended that if walking for exercise, people stick to outdoor spaces as there were more people also using the space. He urged anyone feeling unsafe or threatened at any time to call triple-0.
