Police have condemned the daredevil antics of a group of youths who have filmed themselves “rooftopping” at locations across Wyndham.
The worldwide trend of “rooftopping” involves people gaining access – often illegally – to locations such as high rooftops and cranes, in order to record both the views and their own risky behavior.
Many rooftoppers post their videos and photos onto social media. Some teenagers in Wyndham have followed suit, putting several videos of their pranks on YouTube.
One video, posted in March this year, shows a young male scaling a fence, which is topped with barbed wire, to access the Pacific Werribee Shopping Centre rooftop. The footage, which has received hundreds of views, shows the youth climb over a gate which is clearly signed as, “No unauthorised access beyond this point”.
In January this year, the same youth posted videos of himself and others sneaking onto the roof of a Hoppers Crossing shopping centre and into a restricted area near a Hoppers Crossing bridge. In another recording, they climb the fence of a school and clamber onto its gymnasium’s roof.
Wyndham Police Inspector Marty Allison said that in “copycatting” other rooftoppers, the teens were putting themselves in danger.
“I think they’re placing themselves at unnecessary risk – the first concern is around their own safety and … by extension, other members of the public,” Inspector Allison said.
“They are entering into places they have no lawful excuse to be in and committing offences as a secondary consideration to this.”
Inspector Allison said police “wouldn’t encourage anyone to be involved in this kind of behavior”.
Pacific Werribee centre manger, Patricia Gardiner said the security of the Pacific Werribee community is taken very seriously.
“Our centre is monitored 24/7 by our Werribee security team and an extensive CCTV network, and this work is further bolstered by our close work with local police.
“While we have these robust measures in place, we rely on the co-operation of those visiting our centre in practicing responsible and safe behaviour, and we are disappointed that someone would put their safety at risk in this way.”
