Council responds to reports of suspected looting post flooding

Published on 17 October 2022

As flood impacted residents continue the clean-up, Council has expressed disappointment at reports of suspected looters in the area.

Mayor Cr Anthony Tran, who has previously recognised the way the community has come together as an illustration of how events like this can bring out the best in people, said “unfortunately they can also bring out the worst.”

“We have a community who are going through the heartache of clearing flood contaminated materials from their properties. The last thing they need is people coming into the area trying to take what’s left,” he said.

Unfortunately, Mayor Tran said, there will always be those seeking to take advantage of someone else’s woes. “While I appreciate this is distressing, I would ask our residents to focus on all the positives, not the actions of a few people who don’t deserve our time or energy.

“Let’s focus on the ways we are seeing our community come together – residents whose homes are safe who are turning up to help strangers with the clean-up, providing not just their time but their good will. This is what Maribyrnong is about. “

Any suspicious activity should be reported to Police.

Council is reinforcing items that have been deposited on the nature strip are not there for the taking. They cannot be rehomed. They are there for disposal because they have been contaminated by floodwater. It is not safe to repurpose them.

Maribyrnong News

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