By Afraa Kori
After leaving behind the chaos of America for the peace of Beaconsfield, Emily now finds herself trapped in fear as crime shatters the sense of safety she once cherished in her new home.
Emily moved from America to be with her lovely partner, who has been living in Beaconsfield for over 20 years.
The alleged thieves broke into her car at 3.45am early December and stole items from her vehicle, along with many other cars in the area.
While the stolen items weren’t of significant financial value compared to others, they included items of sentimental importance.
“My mom gave them to me and they mean a lot to me. I was adopted and things like that mean the world to me,” Emily said.
“America was/is a mess but at least the crime was expected! In a sweet little shire like ours; one that’s always been quiet, where neighbors all know one another… it’s just shocking…this definitely leaves a sour taste.”
Despite her PTSD and extreme anxiety about the thieves, Emily is not alone, as the neighborhood’s perception of safety in Beaconsfield has drastically changed in the last few weeks.
She had four cameras around the perimeter of her house but noticed there were blind spots. To address this, she added six new security cameras and had alarms installed on all the windows, doors, and gates.
Most of the neighbors have also installed new alarm systems and cameras. With her neighbors’ approval, they are aiming to install some cameras in the street.
In the beginning Beaconsfield was a “safe haven“, now it’s like “walking on eggshells”.
“Every time we park our cars anywhere, we’re worried. Every time we go to bed, we triple check the doors and windows and locks. It’s insane,” Emily said.
“I’ve been staying up for a few nights since they broke into our cars and haven’t seen anything. Rest assured, they should hope the cops get them before the neighborhood does because they’ve victimized a lot of people.”
“As far as our community, I know we’ve pulled together before and we are now too. I’ve been patrolling on and off at night and I know several others are as well. The only positive thing is that now we know we have each other’s backs.”
While the community still holds hope that the police will catch the perpetrators, there is a growing sense of disappointment due to the lack of progress.
“Most of us have photos of the perpetrators but they still haven’t been caught so it is disheartening but we have to have faith the police will find them. I honestly hope they do because if not, I think the neighborhood will catch them and they should really pray the cops do first.
“So many people are so angry and hurt by this; I wouldn’t rule out some homegrown vigilante justice if the cops don’t catch these two soon. I hope I answered everything! I’m around if you have any more questions and thank you so much for bringing light to this!”
A Victoria Police spokesperson said “Beaconsfield is a safe place to live, with less than one criminal offence committed per day.”
“Overall crime in the area has also decreased by 19 per cent in the past five years and 36 per cent since 2016.”
Victoria Police strongly discourage people from taking the law into their own hands as their trained officers are equipped to handle these situations and will carry out appropriate investigations.
Instead, they urge anyone with information to contact Triple Zero in an emergency, or they can submit a confidential report with Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or online via www.crimestoppersvic.com.au.
While CCTV is ultimately a matter for the council, it plays an important role in helping to solve crime. Anyone who has CCTV of an incident is urged to come forward and provide that to police.
Police will continue to engage with residents, traders, and council at community-focused meetings, such as Neighbourhood Policing Forums and youth crime, prevention and safety forums to help identify issues and allocate resources to matters causing the most harm in our community.
