by Cam Lucadou-Wells
Crime and public safety in central Springvale have taken a turn for the worse, say council election candidates.
Springvale Central Ward candidate Minh Le and Springvale South Ward candidate Andy Tran were fresh from a fact-finding walk-through with Victoria Police on Wednesday 11 September.
Top of mind was the spate of stabbings in Springvale’s CBD.
There was a stabbing outside Commonwealth Bank on the previous Saturday and awful group-violence marring the night of Springvale Snow Fest.
Le says he’s noticed a “decline” in safety in Springvale since the start of the Covid pandemic.
“There are a lot of people afraid to walk to their cars at night.”
The same could be said for Springvale South shopping centre, says Tran – who tells a story of up to four offenders snatching a necklace off a shopper’s neck.
“I get worried that we might accept this as a norm, and it shouldn’t be. We shouldn’t allow this sort of thing to happen.
“We should make sure there’s confidence in the community, so they can go out without fear of being robbed.”
The pair are calling for more CCTV, lighting and funding for Neighbourhood Watch – including for information in multiple languages.
They are welcoming a police pledge for weekly patrols of the shopping districts, in the wake of recent crimes.
Le and Tran noticed that the police presence during last week’s walk-through seemed to help.
Both were impressed by officers’ quick and efficient seizure of a hidden knife, after a sharp-eyed witness saw the handle protruding from a person’s bag.
At a 9 September council meeting, Springvale North councillor Sean O’Reilly raised the under-resourcing of police in Springvale.
It was leading to long delays for police to attend triple-0 calls, he said.
Le says crime is under-reported in Springvale, resulting in police being allocated less resources than required.
For the sake of getting better police resources, he urged shoppers and traders to overcome their reluctance to report crime. Or they can give anonymous information to Crime Stoppers.
“They don’t want to give their names and details. They don’t want the hassle,” Le says.
The walk-through was organised by deputy mayor Richard Lim – who was aiming to switch seats to Springvale North Ward but his candidacy is in doubt due to not being named on the electoral roll.
Lim, who is a Labor member, recently shared a joint campaign launch with Le and Tran.
It was attended by other Labor candidates Jim Memeti, Zahra Haydarbig as well as mayor Lana Formoso – but would have put Lim at odds with sitting ALP councillors O’Reilly and Loi Truong.
The pair stress their focus is on the community, not party politics.
For his part, Le says he is “not political” and doesn’t understand the political system. Tran says he’s a member of an unnamed political party but “not really a politician”.
The duo say they share Lim’s vision for a more ambitious, revitalised Springvale, which lags behind the towering Asian precincts in Glen Waverley and Box Hill.
Tran adds that activating the areas with more people will make them safer.
Both childhood refugees from Vietnam, they say they’ll bring a younger, fresher energy to Greater Dandenong Council.
An architect and domestic builder, Le volunteers for Springvale Rotary Club as well as teaching English to older migrants at SICMAA (Springvale Indo-Chinese Mutual Assistance Association).
“We see the issues as a resident. But we can’t change it unless we get in a position to change it.”
Tran also is active with Monash Health public health unit as well as an Afri Aus Care board member and SICMAA volunteer.
“It’s about the similarities between our communities. I see a lot of the African communities’ challenges are similar to our refugee families went through.”
He’ll be pitting himself against long-time sitting councillor Loi Truong.
“Hopefully Minh and I can get a fresh face and a working relationship in the council to gain common ground and good results.”
