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I don’t think you guys know much about these areas.
Redfern might have a lot going for it but it has one huge problem – CRIME!
The locals will never go, the shops will never remove their steel bars and roller shutters and you will never be able to walk down the street at night and feel safe. Walking around the shops in the day time is bad enough.
Redfern (and Glebe as I saw it mentioned) are designated ‘crime spots’ by the NSW Police. We all saw the Redfern riots. I was even caught up in a huge riot in 1998 when the locals went nuts over the 200 year Aussie celebrations. It was not a pretty sight.
Designated ‘crime spots’ mean that you can’t even park on the side of a street if the police tell you to leave.
One experience of mine…
I stopped on Glebe Point Road once at the 7/11, dodged the kiddie criminals that congregate there and harrass and mug a lot of people passing by, refused giving cigarettes to two kids who looked about 10 years old (mind you, it was 2am on a Wednesday), bought a coke and went back to my car to have a coke, a smoke and a smile while reading a criminal law book that I was studying.
The genius policeman pulled up alongside me and asked me to leave. I told him I would leave when I was ready. He told me that if I didn’t leave, I would be fined $200 for not following police direction. I responded by saying you don’t have the power. He said we have power under the ‘move along direction’ regulations and the fact that the area was a designated ‘crime spot’.
Many here know that I love a good debate so I responded with “I don’t see any signs telling me this is a ‘crime spot’ and if you want to fine me under your weak ‘move along direction’ powers (and I use the term loosely), I said go for it. I also told him that I was going nowhere until I finished my coke and my smoke and I smiled at him.
Anyway, he got out of his car getting all aggressive at me so I told him to go and tell the ten year olds to go home and disburse the gang that was hanging outside the 7/11 not 20 metres away. When I said do some real police work, he became furious. I then got out of my car and he saw what I was reading. It is amazing how quick his tone changed.
Anyway, the end result was that I did not leave until I was ready and the police never sent me a fine. I later looked at the powers he tried to use on me and it only applied to drug dealers and the like. I would have got off in any case.
My point…
These areas are so bad and the police are so frustrated that there is no longer any freedom except for the bad element. They get charged and then put back on the street to cause further havoc. The police approach honest citizens with contempt and out of frustration and not being able to get anything done without fear of reprimand or prosecution.
If the laws are changed to provide the police and the courts with stronger powers, then these areas will change for the better. Until such time as this happens, Redfern, Glebe, etc will always be a designated ‘crime spot’!
Robert Bou-Hamdan
Mortgage Adviser0414 347 771
[email protected]
http://www.mortgagepackaging.com.auFREE Finance-Related Newsletter – Click Here
Comments made are of a general nature and should not be construed as individual advice.
© 2004 Mortgage Packaging Pty LtdKiwi, I had ‘fush’ and ‘chups’ tonight. I thought of you while I enjoyed every bite!
Robert Bou-Hamdan
Mortgage Adviser0414 347 771
[email protected]
http://www.mortgagepackaging.com.auFREE Finance-Related Newsletter – Click Here
Comments made are of a general nature and should not be construed as individual advice.
© 2004 Mortgage Packaging Pty Ltd
