One of Australia’s best-known TV and radio commentators is fleeing Victoria in disgust because of the state’s burgeoning crime problem.
Peter Ford, with nearly 40 years of experience as an entertainment reporter for various media platforms, has become more recognizable than many of the celebrities he covers.
He was born in Melbourne and has lived there most of his life.
Now, he’s joined a growing number of people who believe the city is just too unpleasant and too dangerous.
His own house has been targeted multiple times.
“I just don’t want to live here anymore. Why? I’m just disgusted by what’s happening here,” Ford said.
“I’ve had issues, security issues at my own home. I won’t go into details.
“But five break-ins this year.
“They got into the house once, but there were five attempts.
“And I have been concerned about security prior to that anyway.
“Every day you pick up the paper, there’s stories about machetes, and I just can’t live here anymore. “
Ford owns a suburban property and a holiday house outside Melbourne.
He will sell both and move interstate. He hasn’t yet decided where.
But it is not only the theft and aggravated burglaries driving him away.
“Until recently, there was a homeless individual living just 20 feet from my bedroom window. This wouldn’t have been too bothersome, except that he would often scream in the middle of the night,” Ford shared.
“For some reason, my quaint suburb has developed a reputation as a place for people to gather and, well, use drugs or engage in other unsavory activities,” he explained.
“So the time has come for a fresh start.”
Ford sees little hope of an improvement for what was once the Garden City.
“I don’t see the problems in Melbourne turning around very quickly,” he said.
“I’m not going to get political because that’s not my domain.
“But I’m very saddened by every single day, by the terrible things I’m reading that are happening in Melbourne.
“And I just don’t want to live here anymore.”
He leaves with regret, but will continue his work in whatever city he decides to call home.
“Of course, I’m lucky to have that option. And that’s what I’m going to utilise,” he said.
“I will always have very fond memories of Melbourne.
“It’s still a beautiful city, but I think we’re beset with such problems now that cannot be turned around overnight.
“You know, maybe ten years. And I’ll be reading about the improvements in my nursing home somewhere.”
Ford’s decision adds to Victoria’s worsening image as a crime-ravaged place of danger.
It follows another high-profile case where premiership coach Mick Malthouse and his wife were victims of an aggravated burglary.
Charges have been laid, but it was reported Malthouse had an old exercise bar near his bed which he used as a weapon.
Anecdotally, that’s a growing trend.
A former senior politician told me recently he is planning to buy a baseball bat as protection.
Some politicians say such nervousness is an overreaction but perceptions weigh as heavily as reality when you’re locking the house at night.
Crimes are also becoming more violent.
Young offenders go armed with machetes, and retail crime has surged.
There are frightening gang fights in shopping centres.
The figures to June show a 22 per cent in aggravated burglaries, which is when burglars enter an occupied house, usually in the middle of the night.
Arguably, it is the most frightening crime.
Allowing an average of four people to a house, that is 32,000 victims facing the worst type of threat.
The youth crime surge continued, with 24,550 crimes by 10-17 year olds â up almost 18 per cent.
Car theft jumped by almost half, 42 per cent.
Theft from cars was up 39 per cent and retail crime up 27 per cent.
The state opposition calculates there has been a crime every 49.4 seconds.
Crime statistics do not count the victims, but there were 483,583 criminal incidents, an increase of 18.3 per cent.
That’s the highest figure in 20 years.
Assuming there are typically two victims per criminal event, this would mean close to one million victims in Victoria, which has a population nearing seven million.
That means around 14 per cent of the population has been a victim in the past 12 months.
Inevitably, there will be more Victorian victims over the next year.
Ford will not be one of them.
Neil Mitchell Asks Why is a Nine podcast posted each Tuesday at 6am.
