SUNSHINE police have vowed to crack down on crime in the Deer Park Town Centre, following revelations of prostitution and drug dealing in the troubled shopping strip.

Representatives from the newly formed Deer Park Residents and Traders Association held an urgent meeting with the police and council last week in a desperate bid to clean-up their suburb.

The meeting came after numerous traders revealed to Star they had been the victims of a recent spate of violent attacks.

The frustrated shopkeepers told terrifying tales of violence, drug abuse and street sex, which they claim is turning their shopping strip into a ghetto. Store owner Vincent d’Argent told police he and his customers were continually propositioned by a female prostitute, who plied her trade along the Ballarat Road shops.

Mr d’Argent told Star the woman hung around the front of his shop and conducted her business with clients in the back car park.

“When the young boys come around at night they give her $5 or $10 for oral sex, then she collects the money and uses it to score drugs,” Mr d’Argent said.

“It’s quite intimidating sometimes and it’s scaring away many of my customers.”

The shopkeeper said he also regularly witnessed what he believed to be drug deals taking place in the shopping centre car park.

“The area is really turning into a ghetto,” Mr d’Argent said.

“We’ve got drug dealing, prostitution, syringes, violence.

“If I knew it was going to be like this, I would never have opened my business here.”

Sunshine Lions Club member Les Tarczon told police he was concerned fledgling gangs were beginning to operate in the area.

Mr Tarczon said youths hanging around the shops had begun calling themselves the 3023 gang, after the Deer Park postcode.

“We’re starting to see postcode gangs coming into this area, which is quite disturbing,” Mr Tarczon said.

“At the moment, they’re just young kids but kids grow up and we need to stop this before it gets out of hand.”

Sunshine Police Senior Sergeant Mick Shaughnessy said police had noticed a spike in crime in the vicinity of the shopping strip last month and promised to step up patrols and operations in the area.

He said Sunshine’s pro-active policing unit would work with the area’s youth to address the problem.

Police, traders and the council will also meet on a regular basis to discuss strategies to deal with crime in the area.

The next meeting has been planned for 7 October at the Sunshine Police Station.