Running wild

By Melissa Meehan
SPRINGVALE kids falling through the cracks are running amok in Kelvin Grove.
Residents say they are living in fear as their street is continuously “under attack” from youths chroming, setting fences alight and tagging graffiti in the alleyway between homes and shops.
Residents and landlords were hesitant to speak out in fear of retribution but some agreed to speak if we did not use their last names.
Concerned resident, Phoebe, spoke on behalf of her elderly parents and said that the issues had been in Kelvin Grove for a long time.
“People are afraid to go out at night because they don’t know what the kids are going to do,” she said.
“They are high on drugs and are abusive. They break windows and set fences on fire.
“We do not feel safe.”
She said that police were often called to the alleyway, but by the time police attended to the calls the youths were gone.
“Chroming is a big issue,” she said.
“They are high and they cause trouble.”
Phoebe said she could not understand how school aged youths could cause so much trouble.
“Where are their parents?” she said. “I feel bad for them.”
Stephen, a landlord of one of the apartment blocks, said the behaviour in the alleyway had started to affect his tenants so badly they were leaving the area.
“My tenants keep telling me they can’t get in or out of their apartments at night,” he said.
“It is becoming very hard to keep tenants.
“They tell me they are very afraid … that they are under attack.”
He said that local police were unwilling to act because they did not have the resources, but said that something had to be done.
“It is a horrible situation without the police there,” he said.
“Children are locked inside their homes; they can’t go out and play in the streets because of this group of youths who cause trouble.”
But police say they will respond to all calls for help.
Region 5 Inspector Charlie Allen said it was imperative for residents to call 000 rather than calling the station.
“If people call 000 they will get a response, calls are prioritised but police will attend,” Insp Allen said.
He said local police regularly patrolled the area and had a number of outreach workers who were aware of the situation who were working with the troubled youths.
“They are looking at problem solving, trying to divert the kids into other things,” he said.
“Chroming is also a health issue, so we do all we can, we care for them, and can detain them for their own well-being.”
He said police were working with other health and welfare agencies to target the problem.
“While we are doing what we can it is important for residents to continue to complain about the situation to police,” Insp Allen said.
“It creates intelligence for us so we can target the issues.”