A knife-wielding man has been caught on camera running wild in a Sydney housing commission block.
CCTV footage shows a shirtless man slashing at the walls of an elevator with a large knife in a Surry Hills social housing block.
The man also appears to be holding a stick and a cigarette in his other hand, while gesturing and screaming maniacally.
The footage was captured on an upgraded CCTV system introduced as part of a crackdown on unsafe behaviour in social housing.
A knife-wielding man running wild in public housing has been caught on camera running wild in a Sydney housing commission block
New South Wales Minister for Social Housing Pru Goward told A Current Affair there were a number of security measures which have been introduced.
They include concierge facilities, security guards, locked doors and permanent lighting.
Housing blocks in Redfern and Waterloo have experienced a drop in crime since the measures were introduced, according to the minister.
‘We have many elderly tenants here who really clearly just want to live safe, quiet lives, and that’s not always possible when you have anti-social elements visiting the building,’ she said.
‘It can mean vandalism. It can mean threats. It can mean personal violence. It can mean drug dealing, and we want to crack down on all of that.’
CCTV footage shows a shirtless man slashing at the walls of an elevator with a large knife in a Surry Hills social housing block
Tenants at Northcott housing block in Surry Hills said their accommodation was like living in a slum.
Charmaine Jones has lived in the housing block for more than 20 years and said tenants felt they could trash it because it was in a poor condition as soon as they arrived.
Tony Pierce, another tenant, said drug paraphernalia was often left around and there were ‘urine and feces problems’.
‘There was louyd noises, screams, carry on, anti-social behaviour,’ he said.
The man also appears to be holding a stick and a cigarette in his other hand, while gesturing and screaming maniacally