AN alleged robbery using a machete in Chelsea Heights last week has contributed to an increasing crime wave in the Kingston area.
Figures unveiled by Crime Statistics Australia last month show that there were 10,209 criminal offenses recorded in Kingston between March 2024 and March 2025. That figure is a whopping 9.2 percent increase on the year prior, and the highest the Kingston crime rate has been in the last 10 years.
A store on Thames Promenade in Chelsea Heights was targeted during an alleged crime spree on Tuesday, 22 July.
Police allege that an SUV left a Wonga Park petrol station without paying at around 1pm. Around 20 minutes later, police say a staff member was threatened, and cash and cigarettes were stolen from a supermarket on Jumping Creek Road in Wonga Park.
A series of thefts police believe are linked then occurred — police say that the SUV was used in armed robberies and attempted armed robberies involving a machete.
At around 2pm, a cash register was stolen from a store on Thames Promenade in Chelsea Heights, and a man was assaulted. Just before 4pm, five offenders entered a petrol station on Frankston-Flinders Road in Somerville and soon fled empty-handed.
Shortly afterwards, the offenders stole cash and cigarettes from another service station on Frankston-Flinders Road. Just before 5pm, they entered a store on Everlasting Boulevard in Cranbourne West and unsuccessfully tried to steal cash.
Just before 7pm, cash, cigarettes, and alcohol were allegedly stolen during an armed robbery in Wantirna South, and cash was taken from a store on Kerrie Road in Glen Waverley shortly afterwards.
The investigation is ongoing. Police have asked anyone with information to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or file a confidential report online at www.crimestoppersvic.com.au.
First published in the Chelsea Mordialloc Mentone News – 30 July 2025