Can’t let lost mayoral chains go

COUNCILS’ latest response to public questions around the stolen mayoral chains will in my view further erode public confidence in council credibility.

Here’s what we learned:

• Council has known about the missing items since 2013

• Despite four claimed investigations - 2013, 2017, 2018, 2020 - council still can’t determine if the items were lost or were stolen

• Not just two, but at least five years passed before a verbal report was made to police.

It is clear in my view that council has concealed this issue from the community for more than a decade.

We have a gold heist in the order of several hundred thousand dollars, but council is unwilling to make a full transparent explanation as to why the theft was not properly and sufficiently reported to Victoria Police. 

Given the security protocols, I don’t believe those responsible for the safekeeping would have simply ‘lost’ them. That would be a matter of gross negligence on the part of council and those responsible, would it not?

Given the very high financial value of the chain, I believe that the items were most likely stolen. And considering the tight security protocols, I suspect it was likely an inside job.

And in new separate advice council advises “... no further Council resources will be diverted to responding to enquiries on the matter…”

Bass Coast Council is clearly not the appropriate organisation to investigate this matter. The results to date make it obvious that council does not have the competencies needed to conduct such an investigation. It’s a job requiring Victoria Police professional investigators.

I’ll continue doing what I can to get persons and authorities in higher positions to pursue this matter.

As retired Chief of Army David Morrison once said …” The standard you walk past is the standard you accept. That goes for all of us, but especially those, who by their rank, have a leadership role.”

Kevin Griffin, Inverloch