Community demands better security for JJ Holland Park

Local residents are fed up with “poor” lighting at JJ Holland Park, with a number of recent incidents sparking concerns for Kensington women.

In mid-May, a woman was allegedly robbed during a running session at the park, and another described the figure of a man standing in the dark who followed her and her friend.

Kensington’s Danielle Bryan coordinates five different women’s running groups at JJ Holland Park after dark, something she said was necessary to achieve “safety in numbers” due to the “poor lighting”.

“We need more quality lighting, more security, more awareness especially at JJ,” she said.

“Women still feel insecure walking through here at night. It’s everyone’s right to use a public space.”

“This what motivates our running group, but even we have been privy to theft and verbal abuse from unsavoury characters of late.”

Ms Bryan said last year, a woman in her running group was allegedly attacked by a man in broad daylight while running, prompting her to issue words of advice to her team.

“My client who got abused, it was broad daylight, and a guy ran up to her and punched her in the face,” she said.

“I tell my girls to wear their hair up in a bun because this guy was grabbing her ponytail.”

A local personal trainer who also uses JJ Holland Park but wished to remain anonymous, said sometimes the lights are off at around 5am in the morning when her classes were underway.

“Particularly near South Kensington station, there’s no lights,” she said.

“The lighting around the centre where all the paths cross is very dull. There’s a pavilion in the middle of the park which houses like the club rooms for the cricket, soccer and footy teams.”

“They don’t have any exterior lighting. The only lighting is inside the clubs.”

North West City News understands the lights on the sports ovals have been known to cut out in the middle of training sessions at night, leaving hundreds of kids in the dark.

Ms Bryan said the recent robbery at JJ Holland Park occurred during a running session on May 12.

“My client had brought along her backpack from work which had her work Macbook Pro and it was taken, and we think we know who did it because we avoided a confrontation with that person while we were running, he was slurring and using profanities.”

“We recognised the bag he was holding.”
While Ms Bryan tells her clients that “predators” are often put off by people who appear confident, she maintains that the lighting is creating a dangerous environment.

“Given the activity lately, I think it’s a matter of time before something more serious happens,” she said.

In a statement, a City of Melbourne spokesperson said council crews had inspected all the lights in JJ Holland Park and found they were “working, in good condition and comply with Australian Standards for lighting.”

“The City of Melbourne is committed to providing safety and security for everyone within the municipality. Street and park lights are one of the biggest assets we maintain and are a key crime prevention method,” the spokesperson said.

“The brightness of the lights in parks is intentionally set at a level lower than streets. This is to reduce the contrast between lit and unlit spaces, allowing increased visibility of the darker areas beyond the lit footpaths.” •