Police Beat

Toodyay has an unusually high proportion of older residents compared with average ages elsewhere in Australia.

Australia’s 2021 national census showed that nearly half of all Toodyay residents were between 50 and 74 years old.

This figure is nearly double the 28 per cent of all West Australians and all Australians in the same age group.

Dementia Australia says cognitive impairment is the second leading cause of death in the nation.

It is more common in people older than 65 and involves changes in the human brain that can start to develop from middle age.

Health statistics show that more than 1.5 million Australians – nearly six per cent of the nation – were caring for an estimated 400,000 people with dementia, including 46,000 in WA last year.

That number is expected to grow to 108,000 in WA over the next 35 years.

Researchers estimate that six out of 10 people living with dementia will wander at least once.

WA police have partnered with the Australia Medic Alert Foundation to start Safe and Found WA which promotes the use of identity bracelets to help quickly find and return missing people to their homes.

Each bracelet is stamped with a unique number that links to a secure database that lists the wearer’s name, address and any medical conditions that may need attention.

The bracelets also include a police phone number for people to call if a wearer with memory loss goes missing or is found on the street with no other clue to their identity.

The database includes a recent photograph of the person and a behaviour profile with details such as a wearer’s favourite places that can be used to help to find them.

Safe and Found ID and bracelets cost $49 a year ($39.20 for Seniors Card holders) with funding assistance options available.

The not-for-profit program can be joined online at www.safeandfound.org.au or by calling 1800 882 222.

In addition, Toodyay hosts a monthly ‘Memory Café’ where carers and people with dementia can meet informally in a locally supported social network.

It is held from 10am to noon on the second Tuesday of every month at the Toodyay Bakery in Stirling Terrace.

The atmosphere is casual, no bookings are needed and participants can drop in or leave whenever they choose.

The program is supported by local police who regularly attend to offer support and advice.

We urge everyone affected by dementia or other similar cognitive impairments to consider using Safe and Found WA to help police in their work and protect vulnerable community members from harm.

Local crime rate falls

TOODYAY residents are to be congratulated for a relatively quiet November with no serious issues to report.

Arrests, infringements and cautions are down 20 per cent since last year, mainly due to increased community vigilance.

We welcome that support because it greatly helps us to keep everybody safe.

And if you see an officer in the street, why not stop to say ‘hello’ to acknowledge their work and help make them feel welcome.

If you see anything that may be suspicious, please call police on 131 444 or Crimestoppers on 1800 333 000 and we can follow it up with further local inquiries.

There is no need to give your name and address – callers can remain anonymous if they prefer.

Suspicious activities can include seeing a lot of people coming and going from an address in a short period of time which could suggest a dealer selling drugs.

Vehicles seen being driven slowly past properties for no apparent reason could also signal criminal intent.

Please call us straight away rather than post your sighting on Facebook – we monitor social media periodically but by then it might be too late to catch an offender and the trail may have gone cold.

Your timely assistance can be vital to help keep our community safe.

We’re never far away

I WOULD like to remind people that the front counter of the Toodyay Police Station is open for public inquiries from 9.15am to 4pm Monday to Wednesday every week.

Outside those hours, an office intercom on the wall can connect callers to a police assistance centre in Perth, or people can ring 131 444.

A locked front door doesn’t mean we aren’t working – local officers are busy every day, including on weekends and public holidays, carrying out law enforcement duties and other important police work.

I would also like to thank local resident Bruce Guthrie and his partner for pruning and maintaining the roses in the Toodyay Police Station front garden.

This is in addition to the regular gardening work done by prison inmates to help keep our street frontage neat and tidy, as mentioned in last month’s column.

Buckle up for Christmas

THE FESTIVE holiday season is a time to take extra care to keep your property safe.

Thieves know that gifts are being stored under Christmas trees and will target unlocked doors and windows to gain entry while occupants are asleep or absent.

It is also a time to take extra care on our roads, especially during the festive drinks season.

WA’s annual holiday traffic blitz starts officially on the Thursday before Christmas Day until the first week of January when double demerit points will apply but in Toodyay our blitz began on Friday November 30.

We will be out on local roads testing motorists for drink and drug driving as well as for wearing seatbelts and using mobile phones or texting while driving.

The aim is to keep everyone safe over the holiday break.

We at the Toodyay Police Station wish all our readers a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year, and we’ll be back in February to tell you how it all went.