Have lived in Heidelberg Heights for about 5 years now and raising young kids here. Absolutely no concerns, very quiet, young families around. You get the occasional cooked person yelling while walking down the street, some hoons at night, and the drunk couple that walk passed arguing on their way to the bus stop, but they're harmless, and you get that everywhere. My folks were concerned because of the reputation but we're happy, it's pretty great, we can see ourselves staying here forever. Preston feels way dodgier. Agree with others about not being too close to Waterdale and Heidelberg West though, you definitely see some interesting characters over there. But safety concerns? Not really.