IT’S a sad indictment on our society when people feel so unsafe in their own homes and in the streets, they are arming themselves.
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Scared Victorians are arming themselves with baseball bats and other household items following an increase in violent home invasions across the state.
One caller told 3AW's Rumour File that a leading sports store in an outer metropolitan suburb had run out of baseball bats, "and it ain't because of an influx of baseball players”.
His call was followed up by numerous others saying they had begun to arm themselves with golf clubs, hair spray and even a spear gun to protect themselves from teenage gangs.
You can’t blame people for feeling unsafe. There does seem to be a spike in violent crimes like aggravated burglaries, carjackings … and this is not exclusive the metropolitan Melbourne.
Regional and rural areas like Ballarat have also fallen victim to those who think it’s okay to take what doesn’t belong to them. And they’re brazen, often not waiting until the dead of night to strike.
The number of aggravated burglaries in Ballarat hit a six-year high at the start of 2016, with 55 offences reported to police between January and March.
Yes, everyone has the right to feel safe. But arming yourselves with what is essentially a deadly weapon is not the answer.
Let the police do their jobs.
It’s not worth being on the other side of the law when it comes to protecting yourself and your property.
And it’s not worth risking serious injury – or worse – when it comes to going up against these offenders, who have little or no fear of the police or of facing the justice system.
Earlier this week, Victoria police assured the community they would “get on top” of the statewide crime wave. In Ballarat, in particular, police have made a number of arrests in recent months, including a number of repeat offenders.
Ballarat’s Inspector Bruce Thomas urged the public not to approach offenders, because some may have weapons.
“What we ask is people target-harden their houses,” Inspector Thomas said.
But most of all when it comes to personal safety and community safety in general, don’t become a vigilante.
Don’t take the law into your own hands, it’s not worth it. Let the policemen and women in Victoria do their jobs.