crime in Oz

[Donnyvcpt]

Hey everyone, I've been reading through a couple of topics now and realized that a few people mentioned that there are a couple of rough areas, especially in Melbourne. I was wondering if any of you have been or know of someone who has been a victim to crime in Oz? And also what makes you classify these areas as rough? My fil showed me a clip of someone, looked asian, trying to break into a house in Perth. In the clip he's comes in through the gate, bare chested and holding a machete. The alarm went off and frightened him away. There's a special page on Facebook dedicated to crime in Oz.

[RYLC]

You're kidding right! When we first moved into our house in Brisbane a security system salesman knocked on our door and I had to apologise for shrieking with laughter at the thought of needing one.

"Crime" usually means petty theft. We have never in 14 years here bothered with contents insurance because we don't see the need. When I fetch the kids from school I don't even lock the back door and that's in suburban Adelaide nowadays.

Not that anybody "asks" for it, but when I read reports of crime it is usually somebody walking alone in a park late at night or other risky behaviour. Of course there is crime but not on the scale of RSA. If you are broken into here they will take electronics, jewellery, cash for drugs. In RSA if you are broken into, your entire house will be ransacked, food stolen, carpets urinated on and possibly raped and murdered in your bed.

Now I'm sure people will post stories of crime but in my book life is sweet here.

Edited to add: the serious crimes (murder) I have read about are usually for revenge or drug related.

Edited March 30, 2014 by Crisplet

[21yearsoutofrsa]

http://www.aic.gov.au/publications/current%20series/facts/1-20/2012.html

Here are the stats published by the Australian government.

[OubaasDik]

Yup, I was a "victim" of a home invasion 4 months after I got here.

Hot night in Perth - left the windows open and woke up to see the lights on and someone come wandering into the bedroom. He disappeared most swiftly when I bellowed at him.

Phoned the cops and they were there within 20 mins - didn't even have to go and fetch them. I couldn't really give a good description, since it was dark, and I really am pathetic at people. Fingerprint guy turned up next day and chatted while he was dusting.

Still waiting for my second contact with crime, and that was 11 years ago.

Yes there is crime. Is it anywhere near the level in SA? NO.

[Donnyvcpt]

Not kidding at all crisplet, the purpose of the question wasn't to compare crime to what we have in RSA. I merely want to know, out of pure interest, if anyone has experienced it. It's all good and well painting a pretty picture of Oz and counting your lucky stars that you've escaped the crime in RSA, but lets not be naive and pretend there's no crime in Oz.

OBD you're quite lucky there mate. Just the idea of someone lurking in the dark in my property would make me lose it. At least the guy had a bigger shock than you did when you shouted and ran away. That clip I saw was a little disturbing. A man wielding a machete obviously hasn't got good intentions. The guy who posted it online was the owner of the house, apparently it was the third time within a few months that someone attempted to break in

[Sunnyskies]

We had a home invasion shortly after moving into our first long term rental - good area not a known "bad area" to avoid. Fortunately they didn't have any weapons. There are stories of home invasions leading to stabbing - quick Google search on "home invasion Melbourne" throws up the following:

- Jan 27 2014 - Deer Park

- Jan 30 2014 - Winchelsea

- Feb 7 2014 - Point Cook

- Feb 3 2014 - Meadow Heights

- Jan 6 2010 - Bentleigh

We lock our doors and even if we leave our front door open the screen door is locked. It makes no sense to make yourself an easy target.

There is crime everywhere in the world its just a question of degree.

[Bronwyn&Co]

Yes we are friends with 3 sets of SAfricans in Bne-

1) handbag taken out of lounge while sleeping in room with the baby (single mom)

2) both cars stolen out of garage (this was in our street), one car recovered

3) couple slept while their bedroom was cleaned out, so they think they had something sprayed on them

Another SA couple I know of (don't know personally) blabbed about stuff they had & it all got stolen that weekend. Also in Bne.

Our front door lock fell out earlier & I see the screws are out, one is gone & one lying on the floor. I wonder if someone was tampering with it...

Generally we have been lucky but I'm becoming more cautious.

I would say all of the above happened within the past 3 years.

I've put this link on before, but I'll just put it up again because I like it so much...

http://m.sunshinecoastdaily.com.au/news/how-we-gave-home-invaders-stick/1431071/#more-replies

Edited March 30, 2014 by Bronwyn&Co

[Mara]

Our house was broken into 15 years ago, not much besides the video player and computer was taken. Never had any problem since. The break in happened whilst we lived in Bundoora in Melbourne.

[Donnyvcpt]

Yes we are friends with 3 sets of SAfricans in Bne-

1) handbag taken out of lounge while sleeping in room with the baby (single mom)

2) both cars stolen out of garage (this was in our street), one car recovered

3) couple slept while their bedroom was cleaned out, so they think they had something sprayed on them

Another SA couple I know of (don't know personally) blabbed about stuff they had & it all got stolen that weekend. Also in Bne.

Our front door lock fell out earlier & I see the screws are out, one is gone & one lying on the floor. I wonder if someone was tampering with it...

Generally we have been lucky but I'm becoming more cautious.

I would say all of the above happened within the past 3 years.

I've put this link on before, but I'll just put it up again because I like it so much...

http://m.sunshinecoastdaily.com.au/news/how-we-gave-home-invaders-stick/1431071/#more-replies

Your front door lock fell out??? That's very suspicious, I would definitely take caution there Bronwyn.

I think us as South Africans are so used to crime, especially violent crime, that we become oblivious to "petty crime". Is Australia safer? Yes, without a doubt. I don't have to set foot in the country to know that because all the facts and stats are there for all to see. Does that mean that you shouldn't practice the safety and precautions we used in everyday life in South Africa? I think not. I will definitely be fitting burglar bars and safety gates when I'm over there and I would welcome any salesman selling security or security devices.

People on this forum pride their decision of moving over to Australia on the basis that there is more opportunities for them and their kids and the crime rate is significantly lower. While the reasons for their decision is resoundingly accurate it seems, to me, like many of the forumites are confusing less crime with crime free.

[AndreaL]

Erm, I'm not sure where you will find burglar bars and what that would cost, and of course you wouldn't be able to do it in a rental. You can get mesh screens, google crimsafe.

Some homes do have a security door, I had one in Perth.

You have to remember that homes are designed differently here, my home has 4 full size sliding doors and louvre windows in each room, it would be almost impossible to secure.

I would concentrate on securing front and back doors.

No place is crime free and anyone here in Australia knows that, so no, people aren't confusing less crime, with crime free, but the fact that many homes do not have a fence at the front and car ports or street parking, and people have fridges on their back patios and leave shoes and other things on their front patios without them being pinched, tells you that thoughts of crime aren't a daily part of life.

[RYLC]

Agreed Andrea.

A case in point: when we lived in Brisbane and now here in Adelaide: parcel post is delivered to our door and if we are not home we can choose to allow the postie to leave our parcel on the doormat. Never had a problem. One parcel was left on the doormat for three days because we were sick, didn't hear postie and didn't leave the house to see that it was sitting there. My fruit and veg order gets left on the front verandah each week with no problems.

The only habit I still use from RSA is to drive with the doors locked for no other reason than habit.

So if you want to hear about crime, sure I can post a link to our neighbourhood watch about graffiti, tools stolen from unlocked van parked in street, theft from the local school, etc but it would be like comparing Australia's pimple to RSA's carbuncle.

It's all relative and you'll understand how this FEELS when you start living here.

Edited March 30, 2014 by Crisplet

[Toitjie]

There is a nice website where the AFP lists crime in categories per suburb in Canberra. I had a look the other day at the different suburbs, really interesting. It seems to me theft is the most common crime.

I was walking in the Gungahlin town centre yesterday past a car parked in the street where I wanted to cross, and in the middle console was not only the owner's wallet but also a couple of bills (money) stuffed into a wad, just lying there. I found it hilarious....in SA that is a 100% invite for a smash and grab. I still would not leave my wallet in the open, I still put it away or keep it with me.

I think it comes down to statistics. In SA I had something like a 85% chance of being burgled, here my chances are still there, but considerably less.

[Donnyvcpt]

Might well not be a part of daily life Andrea, but securing your home and possessions should surely be second nature without even sparing a thought. Take for instance crisplet's scenario, leaving the house unattended and unsecured, Is that not inviting trouble in a way? Yes, in 14 years there hasn't been an issue but what if on that odd chance something happens? Surely taking 30 seconds to lock up would be a lot easier than replacing valuable goods. Or worse yet what if on returning home the thief is still in the house?

That is the line of thinking that led me to the assumption that people are confusing less crime with crime free.

[Bronwyn&Co]

Donny it's really not much of an issue. When you get here you'll probably realise that it's not worth spending thousands of dollars on custom made burglar proofing (I've never ever seen it btw) vs. worrying about your $300 TV. Our car stands in the driveway with golf clubs and bag lying in the back seat every night. Nobody is interested in it.

I'll still maybe put my laptop in the boot at the mall, or my sunglasses in the cubby hole.

But even if you leave kids bikes in the front yard, etc nobody takes them. It's not a case of stealing something to use, here, only valuable stuff that can be sold might be of interest, maybe to bored teenagers or for drugs.

That clip you saw sounds very random, truly.

[Donnyvcpt]

I will get the link of the clip from my fil to share on this thread. The clip didn't scare me or deter me in any way from getting on with my pr application, it was more of a Wake up call in all honesty. I was fooling myself into believing that we'll be moving into a crime free environment.

All that being said, I have to admit that other than being mugged once I've never been a victim to crime. So I struggle to relate with all the talk of crime in SA.

Edited March 30, 2014 by Donnyvcpt

[AndreaL]

Might well not be a part of daily life Andrea, but securing your home and possessions should surely be second nature without even sparing a thought. Take for instance crisplet's scenario, leaving the house unattended and unsecured, Is that not inviting trouble in a way? Yes, in 14 years there hasn't been an issue but what if on that odd chance something happens? Surely taking 30 seconds to lock up would be a lot easier than replacing valuable goods. Or worse yet what if on returning home the thief is still in the house?

That is the line of thinking that led me to the assumption that people are confusing less crime with crime free.

The underlying thought process here in Australia is that one should NOT have to lock up ones possessions, that having to do so is a sign of a decline in society standards.

That said, really you should lock your home, purely because if you are robbed, you would have a hard time claiming on insurance if you had left the front door unlocked.

Most theft is to do with bored teenagers or druggies looking for money, they'll take cash or perhaps jewellery, but your TV etc is really of no value to them...................also they really don't want to confront you, just take what they want and go.

I think that a house that looks like Fort Knox might invite more trouble here..............lol..........thieves might assume you have something of great value if you have unusual security.

We can't explain it to you, it is just one of those things you'll experience for yourself.

Having to lock your car doors and view everyone with suspicion is not normal and not second nature here, if you leave your thongs at the beach, they will still be there 3 days later.........90% of the time, your lost wallet will be handed in, with the cash still in it.

The parcel left on your doorstep will still be there a week later, unless a neighbour takes it in because it is raining.

We live a different way here.

[RYLC]

Yes, in 14 years there hasn't been an issue but what if on that odd chance something happens? Surely taking 30 seconds to lock up would be a lot easier than replacing valuable goods.

"Something happens" would mean the theft of electronics or jewellery (which I don't have). They would be cheaper to replace than the excess on the insurance. People here have more than the basic necessities of life and almost all get some sort of government payment. Burglary is usually teens looking for something to sell for drug money or thrills. As for them being in the house, they wouldn't stick around. The element of violence people are used to RSA is rare.

You won't be able to get your head around the difference in mindset here while you are wearing your "RSA hat".

[TeeTMI]

Take a walk down some areas on google maps in satellite view in areas that you are interested in.

Look at the height of the garden walls (if any) and the garden gates (if any) it will give you an idea of how people living there view security in their area.

[RYLC]

Great suggestion TeeTMI

[Toitjie]

Just to add what TeeTMI suggested...in Canberra it's one of the by-laws that no fencing in front of your house is allowed. just sides and rear for obvious reasons. but front is a no no because of the aestetics etc. I love living without a fence!

[AndreaL]

I found a site with some costings for home security. As far as I can see, if you have burglar bars, they would have to be removable in an emergency to comply with safety laws, as in the event of a fire http://www.thisplace.com.au/priceguide/homesecurity1.htm

[OubaasDik]

<<snipped>>

I think that a house that looks like Fort Knox might invite more trouble here..............lol..........thieves might assume you have something of great value if you have unusual security.

Or the police might decide to break in because you may be cooking Meth / growing grass, etc.

[HansaPlease]

I guess I'm not really sure I understand the question, given that you know there is crime in Aus and you know it is nowhere near as prolific as in SA.

In 7.5 years in Melbourne we have had:

Our Postbox stolen (yup, out the front of our house whilst we were on holiday in South Africa of all places. It was worth about $300. My wife did bug me to set it in concrete. Whoops!

An windscreen wiper blade stolen from our car. Yep. A windscreen wiper blade. It was parked outside a pub so may have just been an idiot being an idiot.

The little plastic chrome plated tow ball cover (cost about $2) stolen from our car. Yep.

That's it.

My wife (Australian) is useless at ensuring home security. She forgets to lock doors. Forgets her phone in the car. Forgets her wallet everywhere - expecting crime to happen is just not something she grew up with.

I'm obviously more inclined to secure the house, but Donnyvpt, I don't think you need to start going down the route of burglar bars, etc. Security screen doors are good. Deadlocks on your doors and lockable windows are enough. Burglars, unlike in SA do not want to struggle for ages trying to get into your house. They do not come equipped with bolt cutters and hacksaws. The houses that get burgled are the ones with easy access and easy escape. They do not want to hang around and torture you a-la-South Africa.

Strong doors and widows, decent alarm system if you wish. That's about all you need.

[Renny]

My brother and he's family lives on the Gold coast. One of he's friends had a break in and a surf board and laptop was stolen. Both was recovered and the the guy arrested.

My brother's wife had her Iphone stolen out of the Robina mall about a month ago. She can't remember if she left it on a shop counter or perhaps in the baby change room, but she does carry it in her back pocket, so perhaps picked from there. Anyhow, she quickly realised it, called my brother and he jumped onto "find my iphone" and saw the phone cruising up towards the Sunshine coast. He jumped into he's car followed it, got to a shaky house, confronted the Pakistani guy (the guy had he's wife and kids in the house as well) and the guy returned the phone....said he was planning to hand it into the police station..yeh right

when they had the heat wave a while ago my brother took the spare mattress and slept behind the front screen door, with front door open to get a breeze...he said he would have slept on the front lawn if it was not for the mosquito's...they live in Elanora on the gold coast.

They have been there for 7 years and never had any other problems!

[rozellem]

Jeepers, I will now go Google $300 letterboxes and might just have to steal myself one

Donny, you are in danger of over thinking this thing. Regarding the video that got you so upset, as unsettling as it may be, it is VERY, VERY unusual for someone to have a camera in his/her house here. I think there may be more to the story that we dont know about. We live in Sydney and we let it all hang out here. We have become so slack. I leave the keys in the car when I go pick my kids up from school. Garage door often left open over night. I have even left the car door open in parking lots, yes I did. My back door is never closed, windows always open. In my street the kids run in and out of each others houses, so front door open most of the time. I would hear a random sound when I am alone at home and find a neighbours child playing in our playroom. I have asked my Aussie friends if they or their family have ever been the victim of crime and the answer has been no. My neighbour thought I was joking when I said people in RSA lock a door or gate to the bedrooms. She wanted to know why, she did not have a clue. Petty crime is all over the world, you find it where you find people. But, as a general rule in Aus, if its a creepy/bad crime, the criminal either has a relationship with the victim or you have struck bad luck and crossed paths with a one in a million nut job.