14-05-2025
Inglewood residents plead for government help to combat violence, antisocial behaviour
"We need help, please."
That's the cry from Ahmed Abdi, a resident in a social housing complex in Inglewood which is at the centre of increasing reports of anti-social behaviour and crime in the inner-city Perth suburb.
Residents both inside the facility and nearby say they are living in fear, because of the behaviour of a small group from within.
About four kilometres from Perth's city centre, Inglewood is not usually considered an unsafe place to live, with the area boasting sought after real estate and a number of popular cafes, pubs and other local businesses.
The median house price, according to REIWA, is just under $1.3 million.
But the community has been rocked by a number of recent incidents, including an alleged attack on a man in a car park over the weekend, the smashing of a unit window on Ninth Avenue, and countless reports of aggressive behaviour and loud yelling at all hours of the night.
WA Police said a man had been charged with assault over the car park incident, and the same man had also been charged with criminal damage over the smashing of a unit window.
Mr Abdi is just one of a number of people who say the behaviour of a small minority is making the community unsafe, with authorities unable or unwilling to find a solution.
While stressing he's very thankful for the opportunity to live in the social housing complex, where he has been for the past six months, Mr Abdi said some residents had made him feel a level of fear he had not previously experienced since coming to Australia from Somalia in 1998.
"I feel scared to be honest, I feel very scared, because I'm scared they'll break my window and come inside," he said.
His neighbour Jacqueline Butchart said when she had tried raising concerns with authorities, she had been met with threats and abuse.
"I came out to take some rubbish out, and I was actually confronted by one of my neighbours saying that I was making false claims," Ms Butchart said.
"It makes me scared because before I lived here, I was living in my car, so I don't have any other options.
It's not just within the complex where people are scared, with nearby residents also saying they no longer feel safe in their own homes.
Sarah*, who did not want to be identified because of fears for her safety, has been living in Inglewood since February 2022.
Back then, the building now used for social housing was vacant, before a large number of people moved into the complex about a year ago. Sarah said that was when things changed.
On top of the noise complaints, she and her neighbours started seeing drug use, finding drugs on the ground, and witnessing threats towards passers-by, she said.
Sarah said she and her neighbours had been left feeling scared and unsafe in their own homes, even more so after her neighbour's window was smashed this week.
"Staying here is the scary thing," Sarah said.
"I purposely did not stay here last night because of what's happened to my neighbour.
"I went and stayed at a friend's house last night and then I'll also have a friend come and stay with me tonight, to help not feel so stressed and feel a bit safer."
Local business owner Claire*, who also chose not to be identified for safety reasons, said it was impossible not to notice the level of fear in the community in recent months.
"We have a community that is scared to walk in the morning," Claire said.
"Everybody is just treading really carefully because it is scary.
"We feel that it's hard to speak up because you don't want to be a target.
"We don't want to say that we're against social housing, we just want the government to do something about it.
"We just want better support, better processes for the community and the tenants."
Claire highlighted a recent state government election advertisement stating "every West Australian deserves to feel safe where they live", and said the community's cries for help to various arms of government had gone unanswered.
*Names have been changed in this story at the request of the residents
