Fresh calls for CCTV after alleged robbery, assault in Victorian town

Three teenage boys have been charged with robbery and assault over an incident that has sparked fresh calls for the installation of CCTV in a west Victorian town.

A video circulating on social media appears to show a boy being attacked by several other teenagers near the intersection of Wakeham and Doyle streets in Stawell at about 5:45pm on October 5.

Police allege a group of teenagers set upon the 15-year-old boy, assaulted him and stole his shoes and clothes before taking off on foot.

The boy was taken to hospital for treatment and has since been released.

On Tuesday detectives arrested two 15-year-olds and a 14-year-old and charged them with affray, robbery, recklessly causing injury, and theft.

They will appear in children's court at a later date.

Police said the investigation was ongoing and more arrests were expected.

Council under pressure

The incident comes after months of community pressure for the Northern Grampians Shire Council to install CCTV in police-identified crime hotspots.

The shire previously refused to install the cameras due to privacy concerns, despite already using cameras outside council workplaces.

Last week's incident reignited the conversation and council was forced to respond to a swathe of online comments.

"While we don't have CCTV installed throughout the shire, we have done a body of work on the subject, including looking into the financial cost and privacy concerns," Mayor Karen Hyslop said.

"CCTV camera purchase, installation and ongoing maintenance are expensive, and installing CCTV at hotspots shire-wide would involve allocating hundreds of thousands of dollars from the budget.

"It is well known we are operating in a rate-capped environment and struggling to be financially sustainable."

Cr Hyslop said the council's policy had not changed "for now", but "priorities can be re-evaluated"

She said the council took community safety "seriously".

"It is taken into account in everything we do, whether it is deterring behaviour through good design principles in major projects, through to emergency preparedness and animal management," Cr Hyslop said.

"We also believe community safety is a shared responsibility with other organisations, including Victoria Police."

'Significant safety concerns'

Earlier this year, resident Jessica Lees and two other mothers ran an online survey to collect data in support of cameras being installed on Stawell's main street, sports fields and skate park.

She said more than 300 people filled out the survey at the time and questioned why the council had not explored every option before ruling the cameras out.

Ms Lees said the council could apply for a state government grant of up to $250,000 for CCTV and asked whether that had been considered.

"If other councils across Victoria can find ways to fund CCTV, why can't we?" she said.

"Our community already faces significant safety concerns and residents deserve more than being told it's too expensive.

"We deserve transparency, answers and genuine action to improve safety in our town."

Cr Hyslop said the council had not considered a formal grant application at this stage.

Police Superintendent Dan Davison said officers understood the concern the incident had caused in the community and would ramp up patrols.

"There is never any excuse for violence in our community, and we will not accept it in any form," he said.

"While we are treating it as an isolated incident, additional patrols will take place across Stawell to ensure our community not only is safe, but feels safe."