Police issue stranger warning
Know who you are taking home is the message police have issued after a man was held up at knifepoint by the person he took home for a one-night-stand.
Local man Sonny Untung was last week robbed in his own home by a man he met at the Midnight Shift in the early hours of Sunday morning.
Surry Hills Police Commander Donna Adney called on people to take every precaution possible when going home with someone new.
From my point of view, if you’re taking home someone you don’t really know, you need to be cautious of who they are and about knowing something about who they are before you take them home, like their name, where they work, where they live.
People should also remember that at the first point where they start to feel a little bit concerned or unsafe, they need to ask the person to leave, she said, adding that other safety measures include getting the person’s phone number or ensuring that a friend has seen the person you are going home with.
Everyone carries a phone now, so if you’re going out with a friend, set up a situation where if one of you gets lucky it doesn’t hurt to stick any initial information you’ve got about the person and send it off in an SMS to someone who is going to hold on to it. You can be a bit discreet about it so at least then there is some data recorded.
Adney said cases like this were extremely rare but acknowledged it could happen more often than is being reported.
I don’t think it’s a common thing, however, I would say if it is happening, don’t be afraid to report it to police. Don’t be embarrassed, police hear all sorts of different stories. You have to tell us about it because otherwise we can’t investigate or track any trends.
info: Contact Surry Hills Police on
9265 4144.
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Dear SSO: Do you think it was wise to include the victim’s full name? Such exposure might thwart the encouragements of police for people to report such incidents.
Editor’s note: Dear Anon2, the victim approached us to publicise this unfortunate event. The decision to go public was his and his alone.
A similar circumstance happened to me 8 weeks ago in Potts Point (he claimed to have a gun)… from an Oxford Street venue. House and security keys were stolen and this thug has come back to break in and harrass many times… it’s cost me more than $5,000 plus of course the stress and hassle. Be aware.
Elliot – I suggest you contact crime stoppers or the Surry Hills police.
That’s horrible.
I guess its the risk you take though, I have to say, there is a skinny bold guy with a eye brow ring who has recently become a regular at the shift that seems really shifty (no pun), he always talks about his move from Melbourne and how he has lived in back packer accommodation – this seems to be his mode of discussion with everyone –