A burnt-out vehicle has triggered residents to raise ongoing security concerns at the Robert Booth Reserve in Dandenong.
One of two gates to the reserve is supposedly kept locked other than during emergencies, but has been reportedly found open multiple times.
It has resulted in the area being used for illegal waste dumping, residents say.
Dandenong resident Allan Bassett says he saw the gate unlocked during a weekend this month and raised it with Greater Dandenong mayor Jim Memeti and councillor Rhonda Garad.
He says the mayor replied he will take this up with the council but never heard back from anyone else within the council.
“I sent Greater Dandenong an email via their website on 9 June seeking to chat to someone about the unlocked gate – nothing heard from them.”
The issue was raised at the Tuesday 10 June council meeting by Cr Garad.
City of Greater Dandenong executive director city futures, Sanjay Manivasagasivam responded that the gate recently became the responsibility of a security contractor for the council.
“This was not part of our contract before February 2025, it’s only been added to our security services since February 2025.
“Our contractors go and lock up and have the schedule to prove that.
“We will work with the contractor to make sure they have done all of that but remember, not only the contractors have keys to these. The (Booth Reserve sport) clubs have access to keys as well.”
He said the council will work with the clubs to make sure the gates are locked after the facility use.
Dandenong Little Athletics Club president David Daff takes issue with Mr Manivasagasivam’s claims, saying that the club never had a key to the gate.
He has recently requested a key to the gate in case of an emergency.
Cr Garad says dumping is an ongoing issue raised by residents since the time she was door-knocking during local government elections last year.
“This (burnt-out car) incident is very serious. It could’ve set a fire to the area there and caused serious incidents.”
She says regardless of whether the reserve was part of the contract before February or after, the contractors aren’t fulfilling the crucial role to the best standards.
“I wasn’t confident in (Manivasagasivam’s) response. He seemed to be spending his time defending rather than on how he will fix this.
“We get a lot of dumping. Residents have reported this to me – people are dumping and leaving things in the creek, building waste and what could be asbestos over time.
“All of that is a real problem.”
She says either the lock is left unlocked by the Council’s contractors or it’s found broken or loose.
“I have put in numerous complaints and tried to stop the renewal of the contract over this and other breaches but nothing changes.
“I don’t know if Council is conveying our concerns to that contractor. If they are, nothing has changed.”
She has called for a review of the security and its effectiveness saying residents are constantly providing photographic timestamped evidence of the times the gate was locked and unlocked, all provided to the council.
Councillor Bob Milkovic rose to oppose the extension of council’s security and surveillance contractor at a council meeting in August last year over similar concerns in another park.
He still says he doesn’t have much faith in this contractor.
Greater Dandenong Council was contacted for comment.
