Residents fear for safety, Smith told parliament

Member for Gosford Ms Kathy Smith recently told the NSW parliament that Peninsula residents were afraid to leave their homes at night and their vehicles in the commuter carpark at Woy Woy.

"There has been a string of dangerous activities including teenagers pushing shopping trolleys off a multi-storey car park, a house fire, the setting up of a roadblock at night made up of garbage bins and bikes, and a plethora of graffiti," Ms Smith said in the NSW Legislative Assembly in a private member's statement on February 24.

"Damage estimated to be in the thousands of dollars has been caused and the majority of residents are too scared to leave their vehicles in the Woy Woy commuter car park fearing that their cars will be broken into or vandalized," Ms Smith said.

"With thousands of people commuting to the city each day, it is disappointing that they do not have a safe place to leave their vehicles," she said.

"In one instance we learnt of a young person in the Peninsula community who is well known to police.

"The police have had 24 interactions with this person in just one month.

"He has been arrested for a number of different offences but is still on our streets, going from offence to offence.

"Residents on the Peninsula who are having issues with drug dealing, vandalism or other threatening behaviour have advised that in some instances, when they have contacted the police, they are simply advised to move out of the area.

"Residents on the Central Coast who are good neighbours and citizens should not have to move suburbs to feel safe in their own homes.

"Time after time, police do not respond to reports of crime.

"A large portion of the community in this area consists of elderly people, and I am constantly receiving reports that residents are afraid to leave their homes, particularly after dark.

"I have also heard from young women who are not prepared to walk from their home to their cars.

"Facebook pages that have been given to me show youths posing with high-powered firearms, flares, fireworks and other explosives.

"The level of drug-related crime on the Peninsula is of particular concern.

"People see drug dealing occurring every day and the relevant premises are being reported but nothing is done about it.

"It is time for police to act on all reports of drug dealing and other crimes that are reported to officers in Brisbane Water and to Crime Stoppers.

"We do not want to be told we should move.

"Members of my community have had enough of living restricted lives because of the activities of those uncontrolled minority groups.

"I call on the police of the Brisbane Water Local Area Command to start making our community a safer place; we should not be living in fear in the twenty-first century," Ms Smith said.

Hansard, 24 Feb 2016

Kathy Smith, Member for Gosford