Police target crimes of abuse of seniors

POLICE have launched the “You Are Not Alone” campaign because abuse of the elderly is on the rise. The launch coincides with Victoria Seniors Week.
Although assaults on elderly made up only 3.2 per cent of all assaults across the state in 2008-2009, the figures showed that almost half the assaults on females aged 60 or more were committed by family members.
There was also a 34.5 per cent rise in family incidents involving females aged 60 and over, with the number jumping from 145 to 195 cases in that year.
Assaults on people aged 60 and over totalled 1090 compared with 944 the previous year.
Senior Constable Eddy MacDonald said he feared many family attacks on seniors were going unreported.
“Abuse can happen in a number of settings and a lot of the time it is not just physical abuse,” he said. “It can be psychological and/or financial and often the abuse is perpetrated by a family member or carer,” he said. “A common example may be a grandchild pressuring their grandmother for money in an abusive, violent and intimidating way.”
Sen Const MacDonald said he wanted to reassure the elderly that they were safe and supported by police to report crime.
More than 15,000 postcards will be delivered across the state to senior Victorians through Meals on Wheels as part of the “You Are Not Alone” campaign to help reach the most socially isolated Victorians.
The postcard, which includes personal safety tips and space to write a police station number, is designed to encourage senior Victorians to contact police when they feel at risk or threatened and find themselves in an unsafe situation.
An additional 35,000 postcards and 30,000 posters will be distributed through other avenues, including health services, police and seminars conducted by the Department of Human Services.