Geraldton Police ask public to report rock-throwing, burglaries as officers observe rise in crime

Geraldton police teams have been hard at work recently, with more than 30 people processed through the station in the last week alone for offences.

Two juveniles were dealt with for burglary and stealing after a break-in at one of our schools last weekend, where a number of bikes were removed. We have since recovered most of the bikes and they are to be returned to the school.

When officers from team 5 went knocking in the early hours of Tuesday morning, they further questioned individuals associated with a number of further offences, including a burglary at the Railways Football Club last month.

As a result, these individuals are now facing burglary and stealing charges.

It’s disappointing that we’re seeing an increase in crime across the city but we’re not just sitting on our hands at the station. We are doing everything possible for the community in locating and apprehending offenders.

We also have the help of the City of Greater Geraldton CCTV cameras to further our fight against antisocial behaviour within the CBD.

Offenders seen committing offences by CCTV will be identified, and a no-tolerance approach will be taken in charging these people.

We are also seeing rock-throwing incidents along the North West Coastal Highway and the fringes of Rangeway and Spalding.

Police will be stepping up by patrolling known hotspot locations, making surprise visits to offenders, having our officers engaging with parents on the dangers of this type of behaviour, and working closely with other Government agencies through reporting troublesome locations and offenders.

I also need the public’s help by reporting these matters to police straight away with details of the offender, including age, description, clothing worn, and last location seen to allow us take immediate police action.

It’s parents’ responsibility to know where their children are at all times, and I’m asking for them to talk to their children about the dangers of rock-throwing and the consequences this causes to families and the community.

The last thing we want is to see someone injured.

Together as a community we need to ensure that this type of antisocial behaviour is stopped.