Welcome to our week in review.
Motor Vehicle Thefts Happen at Home
The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) released figures yesterday confirming what the Lower North Shore Area Command has been reporting to ITC: Motor vehicle thefts and stealing items from Motor Vehicles is more likely to occur at home.
Over half of motor vehicle thefts and three-quarters of thefts from a motor vehicle took place at a home in 2022-23, according to figures released today by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS).
William Milne, ABS head of crime and justice statistics, said: “An estimated 55,000 households had a motor vehicle stolen in the last 12 months, with 59 per cent saying that the incident happened at their own or another person’s home.
“Eighty-six per cent of households reported their motor vehicle theft to police, which was the highest police reporting rate of all crime types collected in the survey.”
In 2022-23, about 220,000 households had items stolen from a motor vehicle.
“Seventy-three per cent of these households said that their motor vehicle was at home at the time of the incident and around half the households reported the incident to police,” said Mr Milne.
Items most often stolen during theft from a motor vehicle included money, a purse or wallet (43 per cent) and personal items like jewellery, clothing and keys (36 per cent).
The survey found that similar types of items were also taken during household break-ins.
“Around 185,000 households were broken into last year, of which 69 per cent had something stolen during the incident,” said Mr Milne.
The report found that for all household crimes, the prevalence and police reporting rates has remained stable since the survey was last run in 2021-22.
The Crime Victimisation Survey covers a selected range of personal and household crimes. It includes the socio-demographic characteristics of victims, whether the most recent incident was reported to police, and other characteristics of the most recent incident.
More information about the 2022-23 survey results can be found in Crime Victimisation, Australia.
Read our article here on the steps you can take to prevent motor vehicle theft at home.
The Canopy Rocks Again
On Saturday night 16 March 2024, locals were treated to an energetic concert by The Last Stand Chisel Barnes Show. Daylight saving will end on 7 April 2024 so there will be the last concert until Spring 2024. The next concert is Dirty Deeds: The AC/DC show on 6 April 2024. This tribute band has performed at The Canopy before, and it was a hit. Book tickets here.
Lane Cove Central – Boomgate Now Open (Another Boomgategate)
Lane Cove Central is the official name of the building where Harris Farm Markets and other tenants are located.
The Sun Property Group owned the property until about September last year, and the new owners are JL Lane Cove Pty Ltd.
The boomgate has blocked the exit ramp to Burns Bay Road since at least Sunday, 10 March 2024.
The Boomgate has reopened at Lane Cove Central. You can now drive up the ramp to exit from Sera Street into Burns Bay Road (see our cover photo)
Why is the Boomgate There?
It is a fire safety device because it stops people from driving next to a burning building in the event of a fire.
Who is responsible for ensuring that the Boomgate is functioning correctly?
It is not the Lane Cove Council. The boom gate is part of the building’s infrastructure, and the building owner is responsible for its repair and maintenance.
It is not Harris Farm Markets. They are only one of several tenants in the building. Harris Farm Markets is not responsible for maintaining the lifts, escalators, and boomgate. Some locals repeatedly requested the Harris Farm Markets Markets to fix the boomgate. He reported it to the building manager and was liaising with him, but neither he nor Harris Farm Markets were responsible for fixing the issue.
ITC will try finding the contact details where customers can report issues at this site.
Solar Made Simple
This week, the Lane Cove Council ran the Solar Made Simple Workshop. The workshop was presented by local “Solar Champions”, who told locals about their experience with Solar and some helpful information for those considering solar panels.
Find out more here.
Hazard Reduction Smoke
Did you wake up to the smell of smoke on Thursday, 14 March 2024? One of our roving reporters is a volunteer for the Rural Fire Service, and he took this photo of the hazard reduction burning on Mona Vale Road. There will be more hazard reduction burning over the next few weeks.
Lane Cove Council’s Wadanggari Park Wins Prestigious Place Makers Award
Lane Cove Council’s Wadanggari Park has won the place governance award at the Place Leaders Asia Pacific awards. This award recognises Lane Cove Council’s massive achievement of creating a park over a railway line.
Place Leaders Asia Pacific Website noted the following:
“Lane Cove Council has created 4,294m2 of new open space ‘out of thin air’. This visionary space, known as Wadanggari Park, involved building a bridge over the rail corridor adjacent to the Pacific Highway. The open space and iconic adventure playground seamlessly connects to the recently opened St Leonards Library, St Leonards train station, retail and a 300-space public underground car park. The Awards Jury recognises the significant effort of Lane Cove Council in driving the long-term collaboration and commitment across diverse agencies and local government areas to create ‘something from nothing’ at Wadanggari Park, adding much needed and well- located amenity to density near transport infrastructure. This cross-agency collaboration and resilience over a significant period of time to deliver social infrastructure is an excellent demonstration of governance across borders to deliver a high-quality tangible outcome with local character that will become the heart of this growing community.”
Place Leaders is an industry organisation that recognises leadership, fosters global alliances, and promotes knowledge exchange to create and manage successful public places throughout the Asia-Pacific region.
Read more about Wadangarri Park here.
Lane Cove Local John Heffernans – 250th Willoughby Park Run
Lane Cove local 86-year-old John Heffernan celebrated his 250th park run at Willoughby on Saturday 16 March 2024. A large crowd gathered to cheer him on.
Find out more about Willoughby Parkrun here.
Upcoming Events – Lane Cove Rotary Car Boot Sale
Don’t send your unwanted goods to landfill… sell them at the Lane Cove Rotary Car Boot Sale at Council’s Civic Centre Car Park between Pheonix Street and Little Street, Lane Cove.
This popular event is an excellent way for residents to sell their pre-loved household goods, providing the community with an alternative to buying new ones.
This Car Boot Sale focuses on residents selling unwanted household goods such as clothes, toys, household items, sporting equipment, etc.
The goods may be sold from the boot of a vehicle, a table, or racks within the allocated site. This event is not for business/commercial traders. Items being sold must be secondhand.
Date: Sunday, 5 May 2024, 9:00 am – 1:00 pm (UTC+11)
Location: Lane Cove Council Civic Car Park
Between Pheonix Street & Little Street, Lane Cove
Bookings: Bookings are now open – click on this link.
Holi in the Canopy
Happy Holi Party is at the Canopy on Sunday, 24 March 2024. This event will be full of fun and colour and live performances.
Business Alerts
Seven Spices Announces Opening Date
Dentists on the Move
Bupa Dental will move to 134 Longueville Road (the old St George Bank branch), and Cove Dental will move to the old tobacconist shop on Longueville Road near Gazman. Cove Dental is currently located near Subway.
Blossom Repair and Alterations
Blossom has moved to a larger shop at Shop 2 91 – 93 Longueville Road Lane Cove. The shop is located near Birdwood Lane – the shared zone at The Canopy.
Jack & Co Northwood Reopening Soon
It’s getting closer. The work at Jack & Co Northwood to replace the petrol tanks and increase the forecourt area is nearly finished. It has been a long and complex rebuild, and the wet summer has delayed the project even further. ITC will let you know when they reopen as we know that locals have missed being able to purchase petrol at that section of River Road. There used to be three petrol stations located nearby, but now there is only one standing due to redevelopment and Caltex’s decision to close numerous smaller sites.
Dumping Continues
St. Michaels Church Lane Cove removed the Vinnies Clothing Bins because people would dump items around the bins when they were full. Once the bins were removed, it looked like the dumping had stopped. However, as shown in our photo below, the removal of the bins does not prevent all dumping.
Lane Cove Council’s Citizenship Awards – Nominations Close 21 March 2024
Lane Cove Council is asking for nominations for their Citizenship Awards, which acknowledge the contributions made by those who enhance the quality of our community and excel in their field. They also run a Neighbour Day Awards program to recognize the efforts of residents of Lane Cove who make great neighbours.
Think about the people you know who volunteer in our community, making Lane Cove a great place to live and NOMINATE THEM. Every day, locals volunteer at sports clubs, schools, local bands, the history society, local choirs, local clubs, charities and community groups.
Nominations Now Open
Lane Cove Council is keen to receive nominations from locals who can identify noteworthy recipients for our upcoming Awards.
Who can make a nomination?
Regardless of where they live, anyone is invited to nominate a person, or persons, whom they feel has made a significant contribution to the community.
Who is eligible to be nominated?
In most cases, the recipient should be a resident of Lane Cove or, for some categories, an employee/owner of a Lane Cove business. There is an Award category for the most contributions, e.g. one who has contributed to the sustainability of Lane Cove, a quiet achiever, a young person, an artist, an employee of a business, an outstanding business or a sportsperson.
Nominations of volunteers are particularly welcome as the presentation evening coincides with National Volunteer Week (May 20-26, 2024).
Complete a Nomination using the link below
https://haveyoursay.lanecove.nsw.gov.au/…/survey…/102885
Nominations close Thursday, 21 March 2024.
More info: https://www.lanecove.nsw.gov.au/…/Citizenship-Awards
Crime Incidents
Card Fraud is on the rise again. An estimated 1.8 million Australians aged 15 years and over experienced card fraud in 2022-23, according to figures released yesterday by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS).
William Milne, ABS head of crime and justice statistics, said: “The Personal Fraud Survey found that 8.7 per cent of people experienced card fraud in 2022-23. This was an increase from 8.1 per cent in 2021-2022.”
One-third (34 percent) of card fraud victims had less than $100 fraudulently withdrawn or spent, while for one in six victims (18 percent), the amount was over $1,000.
“The median amount that was fraudulently withdrawn or spent was around $200 for each card fraud incident,” said Mr. Milne.
Nearly all people (98 per cent) who experienced card fraud notified (or were notified by) an authority about the incident, with 92 per cent contacting or being contacted by a bank or financial institution.
The survey also found that half a million Australians had fallen victim to scams in 2022-23.
“Buying or selling scams, which includes things like false billing and online shopping scams, were the most common, experienced by nearly 200,000 Australians,” said Mr. Milne.
Over two-thirds (69 per cent) of scam victims notified (or were notified by) an authority about the incident, most commonly a bank or financial institution (49 per cent).
The 2022-23 Personal Fraud Survey results include the prevalence of card fraud, identity theft, online impersonation, and selected scam types. The publication also includes key socio-demographic characteristics of those experiencing each of the personal fraud types.
Week in Review Sponsor – Perin Legal
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Read Perin Legal’s article on what to do if your licence gets suspended here.
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