By Esther Lauaki
Members of a Point Cook extended family are planning to leave the suburb after 16 years because they fear for their safety.
Paul O’Brien said he and his wife were awakened by bashing on their locked security door at 2.45am on Sunday, June 2.
Mr O’Brien said he was confronted by two men with flashlights when he opened the interior door of the house.
“We haven’t slept much at all since it happened,” he told
Star Weekly. “We’ve been up checking the doors and checking them again.”
He said security camera footage from his neighbour captured the incident.
“In the footage, they drove into my driveway with headlights on and it looked like they were targeting my four-wheel drive,” Mr O’Brien said. “They had an electronic device that opened my car, but they couldn’t start it because it’s not push button – they needed a key.
“When they realised that, they came to my door and started bashing on the door.”
He said the incident had shaken them so badly that the couple, along with the families of their two children, also living in Point Cook, had decided to move.
“Residents need to know what’s going on here so that they can upgrade their security and keep an eye out for suspicious behaviour,” Mr O’Brien said. “It’s a message that we need to know about in Point Cook.
“We’ve known that this is happening in our area, but this is the first time it’s ever happened to us.”
Mr O’Brien said two calls were made to
triple 0, but that police did not attend.
Wyndham Police dispute Mr O’Brien’s claim, saying he indicated in the first call that he did not want police to visit his home. Police said that officers were at the scene in two minutes and patrolled the area in two unmarked cars for half an hour.
“Over the past two years, police officers in Wyndham have been working incredibly hard to gain the trust and confidence of the community against a backdrop of a growing population,” a Wyndham police statement said.
“The police members did not speak with the occupants of the address at the time, however are now conducting follow-up inquiries.
“The males are both perceived to be African in appearance and aged in their late teens to early 20s with slim builds.”
Crime Stoppers: 1800 333 000
