SUNSET Point Drive at Mittagong has reached “crisis point”, with some residents too frightened of rampaging children to come out of their houses, Shadow Minister for Community Services Pru Goward said this week.
Ms Goward has called for action after a string of vandalism, thefts and even shooting of pets in the street.
“Residents are being completely pushed to their limits,” she said in letters to the NSW Ministers for Housing and Community Service and the Attorney-General.
“A couple verge on the edge of emotional breakdowns, another refuses to leave her house and has groceries delivered, while others will not leave their pets in their garden when they go out.
“Dogs and cats have sustained injuries from shots fired from some sort of pellet gun, windows are regularly smashed, cars jumped on or otherwise vandalised and homes burgled.
“One child even scratched his name more than once on the side of a car.
“That child is still roaming the streets and sitting in the gutter in the dark.”
Most recently, the window of a brand new car was smashed as it stood in a resident’s car port.
Ms Goward said while residents have praised police for their twice-daily patrols of the street, the police presence had not been a deterrent.
Children charged were sent home after court appearances to seek retribution on residents,” she said.
“The children are clearly not learning from those warnings and surely it must be time for juvenile justice to be involved?”
Ms Goward said tenants of both public and private housing appeared to be responsible for the trouble.
Ms Goward said one couple tired of abuse from neighbours was trying to move away but could not sell their house.
After being “inundated” with letters and phone calls from residents, Ms Goward has taken the matter up with Argyle Housing and the Department of Community Services, as well as the Department of Housing, the Attorney-General, the Department of Education, and the police.
“Of course, everyone has a right to have a home and residents are not asking for eviction,” she said.
“I just want action. It can’t be too hard.
“If there are allegations of kids being neglected or running around at night, why hasn’t the Department of Community Services had a talk to the parents?”
Ms Goward said Sunset Point Drive had always been associated with a level of crime, which should have warned authorities that the area needed closer attention.
“Argyle Housing says it can’t do anything, The Department of Community Services doesn’t take an interest and police say all they can do is patrol and hope they see a kid offending,”?Ms Goward said.
“It should not have got to the stage where old ladies are afraid to go out and pets are being shot.”
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