Wyndham’s top cop has hosed down concerns over large groups of youths congregating around Tarneit, despite an MP labelling the situation “intolerable”.
Responding to incidents involving youths attacking cars and patrons at McDonald’s in Tarneit and surrounding streets, Acting Inspector Damien Madden took to Facebook last week to say that, despite call-outs to about five incidents “of note” in recent weeks, there had been little criminal behaviour.
The post followed at least two incidents at McDonald’s Tarneit last month, the first on December 15 involved a group of up to 40 youths attacking cars and patrons, the second was a brawl involving up to 150 youths on the night of December 18.
Police have so far charged one teen from the eastern suburbs with assault. The teen has been bailed on condition he does not return to the Wyndham area.
Police are also investigating reports of criminal damage, after recent call-outs to general duties police, highway patrol, detectives, the dog squad and air wing.
Acting Inspector Madden said police had recently expanded patrols around Tarneit, with plans to step these up further.
He said he is aware of rumours of groups of Sudanese youths travelling by train from Dandenong and congregating at Tarneit McDonald’s.
“We’ve got some people from the other side [of the city] meeting friends that meet over here, it’s a natural thing … but it’s not driving the issue that we have in Tarneit.
“We’ve had some criminal damages reported, we’ve had an assault, and that’s probably the extent of it.
“We get reports of youths congregating and hanging around … we go there, we speak to them, we try to move them on.
“The main issue for us is actually community reassurance … what we’re doing is putting efforts in to having more police patrols in those areas, to make sure that the community feels comfortable.”
But Western metropolitan MP Bernie Finn branded the situation “intolerable”.
“There is no excuse for this sort of intimidatory, and I think violent, behaviour, because I’ve spoken to people who have been attacked, I’ve spoken to people who have had their cars attacked by this rabble in Tarneit.
“We have to reinforce the law, it would seem, to certain sections of the community.
“People have an expectation, and a justified expectation, that they can go down to the local McDonalds … without being heavied by gangs of youths. In Tarneit, that’s not the case.”
The manager of McDonald’s Tarneit and McDonald’s Australia management did not respond to requests for comment.
