Australian comedy trio Sooshi Mango have taken to social media to highlight their concerns with the ongoing crime spree in Melbourne after a break-in at their office.
The incident occurred around 7 p.m. on Jan. 4 at their Carlton base.
The popular online troupe shared CCTV footage on Instagram with the hopes of identifying the intruder.
It showed a man in jeans and a cream coloured jumper using his body to force open the office door. He searches through several drawers before fleeing without taking anything.
The group humorously noted, “He didn’t end up stealing anything because he couldn’t find anything of value.”
Comedy Troupe Backs Stricter Laws
The trio, comprised of brothers Carlo and Joe Salantri and their close friend Andrew Manfre, made it clear that the would-be thief “tried to rob the wrong place.”
They expressed a desire to deter future crime, stating, “If we can stop him from taking advantage of just one other honest business, then we have done our job.”
In light of rising crime rates across Victoria, they are advocating for tougher penalties against thieves.
“Perhaps if Victoria had stricter laws, these filthy rotten leaches (sic) wouldn’t have the confidence to go around breaking into places in broad daylight,” they remarked.
Joe Salanitri emphasised the growing unease in the community, mentioning, “With what’s going on at the moment, especially all the home invasions and so forth, everyone’s feeling a bit unsafe.”
He added that making the laws more stringent would have a deterrent effect.
Victoria Police confirmed that detectives from the Melbourne Crime Investigation Unit are looking into the commercial burglary that occurred on Jan. 4.
Surge in Victoria Crime
Victoria’s escalating crime rate has reached its highest figures since 2004-05.Figures released by the Crime Statistics Agency (CSA) in Sept. 2025 revealed offences rising 15.7 percent to 638,640, equating to 13.8 percent—about 9,000 offences per 100,000 people.
The surge is driven by property and deception offences, which rose 21.2 percent to 378,050. Theft accounted for more than half of that, with more than 54,000 additional cases, including a spike of 24,409 motor vehicle thefts to reach 86,351.
New Victorian Opposition Leader Jess Wilson criticised the government’s response, blaming Labor Premier Jacinta Allan for “gaslighting Victorians.”
“We will ensure that offenders and particularly youth offenders know that there are consequences for their actions,” she promised.
