RETIREMENT HOME RESIDENTS SICK OF BREAK-INS
TOOWOOMBA thieves have been labelled “cowards” for targeting some of the region’s most vulnerable residents in a series of break-ins.
Residents of a retirement village have been left feeling fearful and traumatised after several homes in their Toowoomba complex have been broken into this year.
Now the residents have had enough and are calling for action.
Neighbours to some of the theft victims, Pam Harrison and Christine Jenkins, said the incidents had been total invasions of their privacy.
“We’ve done all we can personally to deadlock our houses at night which isn’t very pleasant for us, but we’ve also tried cameras and dog patrols, so we don’t really know where to go from here,” Ms Harrison said.
“It hasn’t happened to me directly, but it’s happened to people very close to me and it’s so distressing.”
Ms Jenkins, who has lived at the retirement village for more than three years, said the incidents had been “absolutely devastating” for residents.
“The police and village management have been great – in fact you can’t really ask for more from them,” Ms Jenkins said.
“We need to make Toowoomba more aware of what’s going on so we can do something about it together as a community.”
Both women said they had witnessed an increase of cases at the village in the past year.
The most recent incident involved four offenders who broke into the home of a 77year-old woman who asked to remain anonymous.
She was woken by one man who allegedly shone the light of a torch into her eyes, yelled at her and demanded she give him her car keys.
After pressing the emergency intercom button and heading into the loungeroom, the 77-year-old victim found three more men rummaging through her belongings before they eventually left.
Ms Harrison, who is also the president for the resident’s committee for the retirement village, said she was concerned about the longterm emotional impacts the incidents had made on residents.
Member for Toowoomba South David Janetzki said there had been 1015 burglaries in the past 12 months, 406 stolen cars and 2357 other offences occur in Toowoomba.
“There is a crime epidemic right across Toowoomba,” Mr Janetzki said.
“It’s not good enough that thieves are targeting the elderly and the vulnerable.
“I cannot think of a more cowardly act than what we are seeing here.”
The Toowoomba South MP called on the Toowoomba Regional Council to increase security at the entrance of the village premises.
Mr Janetzki wrote to the council asking that the gates, which provide access to a public footpath through the village, be locked.
TRC chief executive officer Brian Pidgeon said the council had received the MP’s request last Thursday.
“This public walkway also provides access to (a park) to the west of the property,” Mr Pidgeon said.
“Council has visited the area around the property and is working through this request to determine if it is practically able to lock the gates and whether it is the best option for the wider community and residents who regularly use the walkway.”