Residents of Lennox Head have called a meeting on the impacts of home invasions, motor vehicle thefts, and burglaries across the town for this Saturday at 5pm at the Lennox Head Cultural Centre.
‘We are hosting a community meeting to address these pressing issues,’ said organiser Alison Vickery.
‘The Lennox Head Residents’ Association (LHRA) is deeply concerned about the recent spike in our community’s home invasions, motor vehicle thefts, and burglaries.’
They have highlighted issues around safety concerns among Lennox Head residents due to violent home invasions and thefts as one of the key aspects they intend to address.
‘Community-driven initiatives, including a proposed “Community Watch Program,” advocacy for CCTV installation, and a call for urgent bail law enforcement,’ are also on the agenda said Ms Vickery.
‘This is a vital opportunity to spotlight our community’s challenges and the systemic reforms we are demanding. Your coverage would play a significant role in holding decision-makers accountable and raising awareness.’
Bail laws
A community gathering led by Ballina Mayor set for Ballina Court this morning was moved to Lismore and Cr Cadwallader appears to have moved away from her part of her initial focus on bail and sentencing laws to focus now on the importance of diversionary programs as part of juvenile justice.
Yesterday former magistrate David Heilpern told The Echo that the police needed to look at where they are focussing their spending to most effectively address issues like youth crime rates.
‘There is undoubtedly a crime wave involving serious home invasions at present, and the solution is complex. More effective policing is certainly needed, and the police need to explain why having the riot squad at Brunswick Heads pub on New Year’s Eve with sniffer dogs, and helicopter raids on cannabis crops in the holiday season, meets community expectations. If such resources were directed to this [youth crime] issue rather than calling for tougher sentences, then we may be on the path to greater safety,’ he said.
‘It is really easy to make political capital out of youth crime, as we have recently seen in Queensland and the Northern Territory. In neither jurisdiction has a get-tough approach yielded any gain to the community. There is simply no reduction in crime. You cannot arrest your way out of the systemic causes of youth crime, no matter how attractive it seems.’
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