DESCRIBING it as a “war zone”, Ashmont residents are being driven from the suburb out of fears they’ll be hit by crime.
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Locals maintain they wake to news of house fires, cars stolen and torched, and blown up bins almost on a daily basis, while syringes are found peppered across reserves and tyre marks on small neighbourhood streets are as endless as the white lines on the adjacent Olympic Highway.
A man, who wished not be named, now fears for his 23-year-old daughter’s safety.
“I haven’t seen anything like it,” he said of Ashmont.
“It’s like a war zone. She’s frightened to go outside.”
His concern follows the launch of SBS’s controversial documentary, Struggle Street, which details extensive crime and social issues throughout the Sydney suburb, Mount Druitt.
“All this Mount Druitt (coverage), I reckon Ashmont is giving it a run for its money,” he said.
His daughter is now considering relocating because she’s too scared to go outside.
The man mooted CCTV cameras, an increased police presence and speed bumps to help limit a crime spree in the suburb.
Some have taken the fight against crime into their own hands.
A resident of 40 years, who’s only noted a spike in recent years, has installed cameras and lights to counter possible incidents.
And while data reveals crime is more rife in Wagga than it is in Mount Druitt, some locals in other pockets of the suburb don’t see an issue.
“All this Mount Druitt (coverage), I reckon Ashmont is giving it a run for its money.”
A woman, who’s lived there for 22 years, said crime was no more serious in Ashmont than anywhere else and that she felt completely safe.
Wagga crime manager, Detective Inspector Darren Cloake, pictured, insisted police were doing all they could to tackle crime in both Ashmont and other problematic suburbs like Mount Austin and Glenfield Park.
Detective Inspector Cloake admitted there were a number of deep-seated social issues in Struggle Street that mirrored aspects of Ashmont, but clarified most of the crime stemmed from only three troublesome families in the suburb.
Local crime data indicates a significant issue with young indigenous groups aged between 10 and 14, he added.
Officers are currently searching for a 14-year-old boy who led police on four separate pursuits when he used a stolen white VN Holden Commodore, with Victorian registration QUG528, to travel to Dareton.
He is believed to have returned to the Ashmont, Mount Austin and Tolland areas.
Detective Inspector Cloake said local police continued to work closely with community members and groups to address crime.
Crime statistics per capita (100,000 people) from January 2013 to December 2014
ASSAULT
Ashmont: .................................... 2512
Mount Druitt: .......................... 1789.7
State average: ...........................864.5
ROBBERY
Ashmont: ...................................143.5
Mount Druitt: ............................271.2
State average: .............................46.8
SEXUAL OFFENCES
Ashmont: ...................................263.2
Mount Druitt: ............................403.7
State average: ...........................152.2
DRUG OFFENCES
Ashmont: .................................1220.1
Mount Druitt: ..........................1205.2
State average: ...........................705.5
THEFT
Ashmont: .................................... 8110
Mount Druitt: .............................7436
State average: ......................... 3311.9
MALICIOUS DAMAGE TO PROPERTY
Ashmont: .................................4234.4
Mount Druitt: ..........................1560.7
State average: ........................... 931.7
ARSON
Ashmont: ...................................669.9
Mount Druitt: ..............................96.4
State average: .............................76.7
Source: Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research
