ALTHOUGH parts of Frankston and the Mornington Peninsula have been flagged as areas of risk for paramedics, none have been declared “no-go” zones. Described as being “like pieces in a pie” by Ambulance Victoria, the 105 areas in Frankston, Mornington, Rye and Hastings and surrounds are listed because of past incidents of violence, or ongoing safety concerns. Most flags relate to where paramedics have previously been attacked by patients with mental health issues, use drugs or own a firearm. Despite the dangers, paramedics will be dispatched to these addresses with police being asked for back up. One example given to…
Author: Stephen Taylor
POLICE believe three arrests on the Mornington Peninsula are integral to their success in putting the brakes on two groups of hoon drivers regularly hold street drag meetings in Melbourne’s south east. An 18-year-old Somerville man is among nine arrested in the past week by detectives targeting hoon behaviour in Melbourne’s south-east. On Monday police arrested and charged a Mornington man, 23, who they describe as “a ringleader” of the South-East Skids. He has been charged with six counts of reckless conduct endangering serious injury, and other hoon and traffic-related offences. A 21 year old Mt Martha man was charged…
A BUS being repaired on the side of Humphries Rd, Mt Eliza, rolled backwards, crashing through fences and into properties when the brakes failed, early evening, Friday 19 February. A mechanic tried to steer the Ventura Bus Lines vehicle while looking over his shoulder as it sped 300 metres downhill and out-of-control. The driver had managed to jump off as the bus began rolling, but his efforts to replace the wheel chocks failed and the bus gained speed as it careered first into one property, then through a side fence and only coming to a standstill after virtually destroying a…
VICTORIA Police’s contentious vehicle pursuit policy, introduced in August, is under review – which must be music to the ears of serving officers who feel hamstrung and impotent when crooks drive by and they can’t chase them. The number of “evade police” mentions in police dispatches – meaning police were not permitted to chase offenders – is hard for many to accept. The policy was introduced mid-last year in a bid to strike a balance between protecting life and the need to arrest offenders. It came about via a range of recommendations from a coronial inquest into deaths arising from…
PART of the Closing the Gap report, released last Wednesday by Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, revealed an increase in Indigenous cancer mortality rates and a huge disparity in patient breast screening compared to non-Indigenous residents. This finding follows a “concerningly low” rate of presentation by Mornington Peninsula Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women compared to other groups in the same age cohort. Presentations by ATSI women at BreastScreen Victoria clinics at Frankston and Rosebud are well below the state average. The Frankston’s presentation rate is just 19 per cent of the target age group (50-74), while Rosebud’s is slightly better…