Source : Perth Now news
New reports have emerged that reveal an incident in Leederville which significantly damaged three cars may not be an uncommon thing in the area.
On May 17, three cars in Leederville sustained significant damage, including smashed windscreens, after a group of youths allegedly threw full-sized water balloons from an overpass onto moving vehicles near the intersection of Vincent Street and Lake Monger Drive.
Following the news, other incidents involving similar behaviour emerged online.
“I had the same thing happen at the intersection of Oxford Street and Leederville Parade. I luckily saw the little s**** coming, but there were maybe five of them who jumped out from behind a bush as I was entering the roundabout and threw multiple water balloons at me,” one commentator said.
“It was quite a big bang and if I hadn’t have clocked them coming it would have been very easy to get spooked and drive straight into them.”
Another commentator said they had a similar experience with kids on e-scooters at the same intersection.
“A couple of months ago I had a rock thrown at my car by young kids on e-scooters at that exact intersection,” they claimed.
“I wound down my window to ask them about it, was sworn at and they sped off. How do these idiots not understand how dangerous and incredibly stupid this behaviour is.”
Another said there were four to five people going up and down the bike path causing havoc.
“They often try to be a nuisance … blocking the path on purpose. Before scooters and e-bikes became mainstream I’ve never seen them around, now it’s a weekly thing,” they said.
“I encounter the same on my commute between Galup and Stirling, and another group between Karrinyup Road and Hepburn Ave. They’ll cross to the wrong side of the path or scream abuse or wave sticks around, probably trying to get a response. I just put my head down and they always get out of the way,” a person replied.
PerthNow does not suggest these reports are the same youths were involved in the May 17 incident.
As police continue their investigations, they are appealing for people with information — including CCTV, dash cam or mobile phone footage — to come forward.
A City of Vincent worker reportedly captured footage of a group of young people on the bridge and passed it on to police, but would not provide it to PerthNow.
The city confirmed it had CCTV coverage at the intersection of Vincent Street and Leederville Parade, including the freeway on-ramps, but the water balloon incident was on Main Roads WA land.
A Main Roads spokesperson said they were aware of the incident that occurred on May 17 and had raised it with WA Police to investigate.
“Main Roads assists WA Police where incidents of this nature are reported on roads under Main Roads’ control,” the spokesperson said.
“The traffic cameras operated by Main Roads are used for live traffic purposes only and do not record footage.
“At this location, the cameras were directed towards the freeway to assist with monitoring traffic conditions and incident response, rather than the overpass itself.”
The spokesperson said Main Roads assessed additional infrastructure, including CCTV, on a case-by-case basis in consultation with relevant stakeholders, taking into account operational needs, safety priorities, and available funding.
“Repeated instances of antisocial behaviour on any asset would result in a review to determine the best solution to the problem on a case-by-case basis, which could include CCTV,” the spokesperson said.
City of Vincent CEO David MacLennan said the city operated 104 CCTV cameras, including 50 in the Leederville town centre, 54 across the Mt Lawley and Highgate town centre and 94 across key city facilities.
“To support targeted community safety initiatives, the city has also procured two mobile CCTV units, which are deployed to identified hotspots as required,” Mr MacLennan said.
“The city determines the locations of CCTV cameras by analysing crime statistics provided to the City by Police reports.”
The State Government recently announced funding to help local governments install additional CCTV to help reduce crime and anti-social behaviour.
The City of Vincent did not apply for the funding.
“The city had already allocated funding in the current financial year for the procurement of mobile CCTV trailers. However, the grant program required local governments to contribute additional funding for associated infrastructure, including establishing power supply and communication links. These supplementary costs were not included in the City’s existing budget allocations,” Mr MacLennan said.
Mr MacLennan said the city would continue to maintain and expand its CCTV network, with business and residents being encouraged to register their private cameras on Cam-Map to assist WA Police with investigations.
