Jaidyn Kennedy and Gerald Lynch
Hoppers Crossing is no picnic for posties, according to new data listing the suburb as having the second most dog-related incidents in Victoria.
Australia Post is calling on councils to adopt stricter measures in response to the alarming number of dog-related incidents involving posties.
New data has revealed more than 49 posties a week have fallen victim to dog-related incidents in the past six months – an average of ten per day – with fears these numbers will continue to rise in the lead up to holiday season.
In the past six months, 1277 dog-related incidents have occurred nationwide, despite Australia Post’s pleas for dog owners to take responsibility for their pets.
The data highlights a clear and consistent trend of aggressive behaviour, with one in three dog-related incidents continuing to occur at the customer’s front door during parcel deliveries, increasing the risk to Posties ahead of the very busy upcoming Black Friday sales and Christmas season.
To help mitigate continued threats, all posties are equipped with a hazard device to log aggressive dog behaviour, with more serious cases alerted to councils.
Australia Post general manager of safety and wellbeing Rod Maule stressed the importance of councils implementing stronger measures to prevent dog attacks, including increased monitoring and enforcement of animal management laws.
“Dog attacks remain one of the highest safety concerns for our people. As we head into our peak season and delivery volumes increase, there is a serious concern for the physical and mental wellbeing of our Posties, particularly around dogs,” he said.
“Aggressive or dangerous dogs are reported to council and local rangers, however too often we see risks are not properly mitigated. This often leads to multiple instances of the same dog repeating aggressive behaviour, which can result in a severe attack on our postie.
A Wyndham council spokesperson cited the council was committed to increasing the visual presence of rangers patrolling the local area.
