Neighbourhood Watch in
Ku-ring-gai and Hornsby

eNewsletter #426 - 10 December 2019

This weekly eNewsletter is compiled by Neighbourhood Watch volunteers as a service for residents in Ku-ring-gai and Hornsby council areas. The eNewsletter is a new type of Neighbourhood Watch; utilising the available technology to keep people more connected and up-to-date with local crime and safety issues. 

The eNewsletter includes a selection of posts from the Ku-ring-gai PAC Facebook page (also known as 'eyewatch'), primarily for those not familiar with Facebook. We add anything interesting from a Neighbourhood Watch point-of-view - this could be a local newspaper article, a roadwork warning, crime prevention tip(s), an upcoming Neighbourhood Watch meeting, Q&As from residents, or an item from an other Police command ("Crooks know no boundaries!").

On arrival the driver had self extricated and thankfully there were no passengers or other vehicles involved. NSW Ambulance Paramedics conducted a quick patient assessment and other than the injuries to his arm he seemed surprisingly OK. He was still transported to hospital for treatment and observation. We don’t like to speculate on the events leading up to or the cause of MVAs as our primary focus is the quick and safe extrication of casualties, and while we are well trained and drilled to deal with the most serious MVAs we would always prefer to to see the people involved walk away unscathed.

From all the crews at Gordon Fire Station please drive safely this holiday period so you can enjoy the Christmas break with your loved ones!

Matt’s story is a reminder to us all to stop and think about risks we might take on the road. Drive safely this summer. #TowardsZero

* As a result of proactive police operations, a 43yo male from Orange was charged with multiple offences including Attempt Murder and Aggravated break and enter after he entered a residence at a retirement village in North Turramurra on the 16/11/2019 and assaulted the occupant. He has been bail refused.

* A 58yo male from Hornsby was charged with Destroy or damage property after he damaged two parked vehicles in Hornsby. The male who smashed windows, lights and slashed tyres will attend court in January 2020.

* A 20yo male from Hornsby was charged with Larceny after being caught shoplifting food items from Coles, Hornsby. He attended court and was given a Conditional Release Order for 6 months.

* A 47yo female from Northmead who is banned from Hornsby Westfield has entered the shopping centre and stolen groceries from Woolworths. She has been charged with Larceny and Trespass and will appear at court later in the month.

* A 33yo male from Carlingford has been charged with multiple driving offences after he was stopped without a rear number plate driving his motorcycle on Pennant Hills Rd. He was also found to be driving with a disqualified licence and had 4 outstanding warrants for his arrest. He is bail refused until he attends court early next year.

We have been approached by Detective Chief Inspector Luke Spurr regarding his colleague Senior Constable Evert Dam. Evert has Polycystic Kidney Disease and last year lost a kidney. His condition has now worsened, and he is now in kidney failure. We are asking you to help spread the word in case a kidney donor can be found.

Evert’s cousin, Senior Constable Tony Mascherin, was given the same diagnosis in 2007, and in 2015 had the incredible good fortune to receive a kidney donation from Detective Senior Constable Tony Blair. This selfless and life-changing decision has restored him to full health and given him his life back. (Click here to read more of his story of selfless caring.) 

To find out more about how the process works, please contact Eunice Toriola at Royal North Shore Hospital, on 9463 1546 or email: NSLHD-donortransplant@health.nsw.gov.au. Or call Det Ch Insp Spurr on 02 9476 9799 (Hornsby Police Station).


[Evert is an officer with Ku-ring-gai Police Area Command - Ed]

Be better prepared for the holiday traffic by doing a Safer Drivers Course. PCYC is an Accredited Provider of the Transport for NSW Safer Drivers Course. At over 60 locations across New South Wales, a 5 hour Safer Driver Course will knock 20 hours off your Logbook.

To book today, click here. 

A man will face court today charged over the alleged attempted murder of an elderly woman on Sydney’s Upper North Shore last month. Just before 12.30pm on Saturday 16 November 2019, police and emergency services responded to reports woman had been assaulted at a retirement village on Bobbin Head Road, North Turramurra. On arrival, officers located an 84-year-old woman with serious injuries. She was taken to hospital for treatment and is now undergoing rehabilitation. Detectives from Kuring-Gai Police Area Command established Strike Force Calculus to investigate the incident.

Following extensive inquiries, strike force detectives arrested a 43-year-old man following a vehicle stop on the Pacific Highway, Wahroonga, about 3pm yesterday (Wednesday 4 December 2019). Officers also executed search warrants at a hotel on Pyrmont Street, Pyrmont, and a house on Jindalee Avenue, Orange, seizing clothing and jewellery. The man was taken to Hornsby Police Station and charged with attempted murder, aggravated break, enter and commit serious indictable offence – people there, special aggravated break and enter commit serious indictable offence – inflict grievous bodily harm, and deal with proceeds of crime (x3). Police will allege in court that the woman arrived home to find the man in her unit before he seriously assaulted her. One of the charges relate to an alleged aggravated break and enter which occurred at Cromer on Friday 15 November 2019.

The Orange man was refused bail to appear at Hornsby Local Court today (Thursday 5 December 2019).

Our paramedics and hospital staff are there to help us all – Aggression is NEVER ok.

"Aggression in the Emergency Department tends to take a lot of resources to try and de-escalate and to sort it out in some way to benefit all parties involved" - Ryan, Emergency Department Nurse. "We’re all part of the same community. Everyone at the hospital is there to help you. And aggression is never okay." – Brian, Hospital Security. "It can be very difficult in that moment when someone is directing anger or aggression towards you." - Laura, Emergency Department Doctor.

View video here.

Christmas is just around the corner. While we shop for our friends and loved ones, the thieves are out ‘shopping’ as well (except they don’t pay for their gifts, they steal yours). They steal from you, they steal from your trolley, they steal from your car.

WHAT ARE THEY LOOKING FOR WHEN YOU’RE SHOPPING?

* Easy, soft targets! A gift you’ve placed at your feet while having a coffee; your handbag or man-bag if you carry one, slung across the back of the chair while you have lunch; your wallet, purse or phone you placed on the restaurant table as you bite into your cheesecake and sip your coffee; your purse or wallet peeking out from the top of your unzipped hand bag.

SOME HINTS FOR WHEN YOU’RE SHOPPING.

• * If you carry a bag or purse, hold it close to your body – a thief will watch how you carry your bag, for an easy grab.
• * Keep your handbag and man-bag zipped closed.
• * Don’t leave your wallet, purse, bag on a table, counter or in a shopping trolley.
• * Don’t leave your bag or wallet on a seat beside you on the train or bus, in a theatre or a restaurant.
• * If you make the trek from shop to car and back to the shops again, ensure your presents are covered or better still totally hidden from view in the boot.

SOME HINTS FOR WHEN YOU’RE BANKING.

• * Try to get some of your money in smaller notes $5, $10 and $20 notes
• * Put your money straight into your purse or wallet before moving away from the ATM or teller.
• * Don’t display large amounts of cash in public.
• * When you’re out, have some money in different pockets so it’s not all in one place.
• * If possible, use the ATMs that are within the bank building.

HOW TO REPORT CRIME:

• Triple zero “000” for emergencies or life-threatening situations
• 131 444 for non-emergencies – Police assistance Line (PAL)
• 1800 333 000 – Crime Stoppers – to provide crime information
• Or your local police station - Hornsby Police Station on 9476 9799

Have you read "Our 20 Favourite Crime Prevention Tips for the Festive Season"?

Tip#2. Lock all windows when in the open position with a maximum 10cm gap. Please don’t plug Xmas decorations inside the house and pass the cable through the window for outside display! Ensure you know of the available fire prevention advice regarding trees, overloading, candles etc: www.fire.nsw.gov.au.
Tip#5. If you go away, make your home look lived in: Lights on timer, washing on the line, TV (Note: a timer plug is available which emits light to emulate a TV), radio on timer, etc. Leave your normal answerphone message on the phone.
Tip#9. At the beach, allocate a person to watch your gear when you go in the sea. Bring only the minimum valuables. Consider use of a waterproof bag and/or nappy pin. Consider locking valuables away from view in a hiding place within your car boot. Do not leave keys hidden on the car.
Tip#13. Do not share anything on Social Media to indicate you are on holiday.  If possible, avoid setting up auto-replies to emails. [See also ‘Our 20 Favourite Crime Prevention Tips for Travel’ and atchOut.org.au/Travel/.]

Neighbourhood Watch has more of these as a '20 Tips' series, available to download free from our website Tips page: https://nhwkuringgaihornsby.org.au/tips/

2 young people were spotted at 3am Sunday morning in Glenorie, off Cattiridge Road. They were going through cars at my neighbour's home. They were wearing hoodies and balaclavas and on foot. Police were notified.

Good morning residents of the area. Last night someone broke into our house in Pennant Hills to get the keys and stole or brand new White Audi Q2. If you have seen it dumped around the streets or driving around please let me know. There is a photo below with the old nmb plates. Please share this around! The current Number Plate on it is 05SHAR Thank you for any information!!!

A man was taken to hospital with a suspected broken leg following a double-car crash in Thornleigh on Monday. Emergency services received reports of the crash before 10.30am at Duffy Ave and Pennant Hills Rd, Thornleigh. A 58-year-old driver ploughed into a tree and light pole, leaving him trapped and injured. CareFlight’s Rapid Response Helicopter landed in Headen Park to work with emergency services. The man was freed and taken to Westmead Hospital in a stable condition.

MOUNT KURING-GAI About 4am on Monday a burglar broke into Mount Kuring-gai Village Pharmacy, activating an alarm system. It’s believed the thief gained entry by removing a roof panel and was able to access the store through the roof. According to police the person of interest searched the location and opened a safe, stealing a quantity of prescription medication and an unknown quantity of prescription medication from the shelf. It wasn’t until staff came to the store that they noticed the property had been broken into. Police were contacted and launched an investigation. Officers are looking into possible CCTV footage and are waiting for results from fingerprint and DNA analysis.

HORNSBY On Friday, a shop lifting operation was conducted by Hornsby Police at the local Westfield. According to reports, a total of 11 people were caught and fined for shoplifting. The youngest person was just 14 years old, while a 70-year-old was also caught in the act. All shoplifters were issued a 12 month banning notice. A total value of $600 worth of goods was stolen and recovered.

HORNSBY Last Thursday after 4pm a 14-year-old girl was at Hornsby railway station where her shopping bag was stolen. She was near the ground entrance at the time of the incident and had put her bag down while tapping her Opal card. When she picked it up, she realised it had been stolen. Police were told the bag contained a $150 bracelet from Pandora.

HORNSBY Between 9.45pm last Thursday and 7am on Friday a vehicle was broke into at Burdett St, Hornsby. The Isuzu pantechnicon was rummaged and a person of interest stole the victim’s wallet. A total of $6260 was taken, mostly in cash. The victim’s drivers licence and credit cards were also stolen. Police urge people to not store items like wallets and expensive items in their vehicle. It’s unknown how the thief gained access to the vehicle.

PYMBLE Last Wednesday, about 10am police broke into a Pymble apartment and found the body of a woman in a freezer after someone in Australia raised concern for the woman’s welfare. Police are unsure where the death occurred. NSW Police began urgent attempts to locate the victim’s husband who is in China. It’s understood the man was interviewed at a police station in Sichuan province but detectives are now engaged in a diplomatic exchange with Chinese authorities, who are communicating through an Australian Federal Police officer stationed there. The frozen state of the body has delayed forensic examination.

HAWKESBURY RIVER Police are pleading with jetski riders to take care on the water after Operation Riptide resulted in 16 infringements and 13 formal warnings at the weekend. Marine Area Command officers, with assistance from the Criminal Groups Squad’s Strike Force Raptor and NSW Roads and Maritime Services, stopped 162 vessels and 128 personal watercraft during the operation to conduct compliance checks as well as random breath and drug tests.

That you can be fined for hanging your arm outside of the car window!

PART OF BODY OUTSIDE VEHICLE (no part of body outside vehicle permitted)
Driver: $344 plus 3 demerit points
Passenger: $344 plus 3 demerit points (driver can also be fined for passengers as well including 3 demerit points)