By JESSE GRAHAM
SECURITY will be bolstered at the Yarra Glen and Healesville Railway stations with a $17,000 government grant lighting up platforms at night.
The Yarra Valley Railway was announced as the recipient of a crime prevention grant on Friday 22 August, along with two other Healesville community groups.
The railway will receive $17,400 from the state government for security lighting to be installed at the Healesville and Yarra Glen stations, with YVR contributing an additional $20,000.
YVR vice president Brett Whelan said the lights will replicate 130-year-old gas lights at the stations to fit in with heritage overlays on the properties.
The modern lights, however, will be powered by electricity and complemented by security cameras in Healesville as promised by Casey MP Tony Smith before the federal election.
“We’ve had numerous occasions for having to call on the police both here in Yarra Glen and in Healesville,” Mr Whelan said.
“Basically, it’s ranged from simple anti-social behaviour – we’ve had problems with needles at both station sites – vandalism, theft and so forth.
“So it’s great that the state government is putting in a substantial contribution towards the security lighting.”
Seymour MP and Eildon candidate Cindy McLeish said the new lights will help to deter crime at the station sites, which have experienced graffiti, criminal damage and theft in recent years.
“When we’ve got people putting in such long hours volunteering, there’s a lot of state and federal money, and their own money they’ve raised going into this,” Ms McLeish said.
“You hate seeing them redo things because it’s broken, vandals have broken in, things have been stolen and they’ve had to go through that.
“Deterring crime is really what it’s about.”
Healesville Living and Learning Centre received $5140 for upgrading an old security system, while Healesville Indigenous Community Services Association (HICSA) received $1763.55 for installing security lighting, locks and a security door.
The funding came from the latest round of the Victorian Government’s Community Safety Fund grants.
For more information, visit www.crimeprevention.vic.gov.au.
