June 2002

Community safety advice for older Victorians

Older people are more likely to be duped by a bogus tradesperson than to become a victim of robbery or assault, says Minister for Senior Victorians Christine Campbell.

Speaking at a Community Safety Forum with the Victorian Chief Police Commissioner Christine Nixon, Ms Campbell said police statistics show that the older people become, the less likely they are to be a victim of crime.

‘Older people are often very concerned about their safety but statistics show that they are less likely to be victims of crime than any other group in the State.

‘People aged 60 and over represented 17 per cent of the Victorian population in 2000 but Victoria Police statistics show they experienced only 2.5 per cent of all crime against the person, 2.2 per cent of assaults and 6.1 per cent of robberies.

‘While these statistics should give older people some peace of mind when it comes to personal safety, Victorian seniors need to continue to be wary of scams from door-to-door hustlers and dodgy tradespeople.

‘Figures from the 2000 Crime Victims Survey by the Australian Institute of Criminology reveal that consumer fraud was 2.2 times more frequent than assault among people aged 65 years and over, 2.4 times more frequent than theft and 13 times more frequent than robbery.

‘Older people are often home to answer the doorknocks of rip-off merchants who prey on their trusting nature.

‘I urge older people to be on the look-out for sham doorknockers and if they believe they are being targeted, to contact Consumer Affairs immediately on 1300 558 181.’

Ms Campbell said the recently-released State Government Crime and Violence Prevention Strategy, Safer Streets and Homes 2002–2005, provided a comprehensive and whole-of-Government approach to tackling crime and the causes of crime in the Victorian community.

‘The overall cost of crime to Victoria is $4 billion per year and the Government has developed this strategy to reduce the financial and emotional toll.

‘This pro-active approach, developed by Crime Prevention Victoria, involves the Government working with the police and the community to improve the way we respond to offending–and to take earlier action to prevent future offending behaviour.

‘The Government urges older people to remain alert for danger and to adopt simple measures such as maintaining regular contact with neighbours, improving security around the home and keeping handbags or wallets and purses out of sight.’