Queen St cameras to curb weekend excess

The Queen St entertainment precinct is expected to become a lot safer with the installation of CCTV cameras.

Member for McMillan Russell Broadbent visited the precinct last week to announce a federal grant of $92,083 to Baw Baw Shire Council to install a 15 camera wireless CCTV system along Queen Street in Warragul.

Mr Broadbent said the Safer Streets funding came from the Proceeds of Crime Account – money taken from criminals and reinvested to prevent crime.

Council applied for funding due to the prevalence of assaults and anti-social behaviour in the area, which is home to several nightclubs, hotels and bars. Shopkeepers often have to clean up vomit and urine after the weekend festivities.

Last August a 16-year-old girl was sexually assaulted in Queen Street Park in the early evening.

Baw Baw mayor Joe Gauci said police had increased patrols following the assault on the girl and the cameras would help to reduce crime and antisocial behaviour.

Council’s director of corporate and community services Phil Cantillon, said the CCTV cameras would be installed as part of Warragul’s streetscape works.

Their placement will be determined following discussions with the community and project reference group.

A Trafalgar man appeared at Latrobe Valley Magistrates’ Court on Thursday after being charged with 24 offences including historical sexual assaults in 2004.

The 57-year-old man will return to court on August 18 for a committal mention hearing.

At last week’s file hearing, police told Magistrate Fiona Hayes they had seized about 50 images of male youths aged between 10 and 15years-old.

The man was arrested and charged last week after a lengthy investigation by Central Gippsland Sexual Offences and Child Abuse Investigation Team (SOCIT).

Detectives seized computer equipment in June last year from a Trafalgar business.

The man was arrested and charged with 24 offences including rape, sexual assault, accessing online child exploitation material, possession of a firearm and ammunition and drug offences.

The court heard the charges related to three victims in 2004.

The investigation remains ongoing and detectives are appealing for anyone with information to call CrimeStoppers (1800 333000) or Gippsland SOCIT detectives (5120 0351).