CBD Safety Forum

On Monday 10 November, The Police Association hosted a CBD Safety Forum. At the forum, all eleven candidates for Melbourne City Council Lord Mayor offered their solutions to combat crime and violence in the city. 

The Association, on behalf of its members, has participated strongly in the public debate about safety in the CBD. We have put forward your views, but have broadened the debate by asking our Lord Mayoral candidates how they would tackle the mounting problem of crime on our city streets.  

The forum stimulated some innovative and worthwhile ideas to improve safety in the city. Many of the candidates reiterated our continued call for more resources.   

Members interested in what the candidates had to say, can download a recording of the evening via the communications section of our website - www.tpav.org.au  

We thank the candidates for their contribution and for helping us to expand on our commitment to making the city safer for our members and the communities you serve. 

More resources must be permanent and sustainable

Monday’s discussion about safety in the city followed the joint announcement from the Premier and Chief Commissioner to increase police numbers in the CBD.   

The Police Association welcomes the Government’s acknowledgment (albeit belated) that the best way to curb violence and crime in the CBD is through a greater visible police presence.   

The promise of 150 additional police at the weekend echoes the Association’s continued calls for 148 additional police in the city as recommended by our independent research.

While we are pleased that the Force and the Government have finally recognised the need for more police, the Association is disappointed that the measure is only temporary.  

By providing extra police through overtime, we are also concerned that the plan is unsustainable.  

Members who are already overworked and burnt-out (commonly as a result of resource shortages at their local stations) cannot be expected to forfeit rest days to plug resourcing shortfalls in the city. We are also concerned at the plan to roster members to work in the CBD while offering overtime to members remaining at their stations, filling the gaps.  

To ensure an adequate police presence all year round, we need a genuine, permanent boost to police numbers. We need these numbers not only in the CBD, but in every critically under-resourced area across the state.   

New York policing

We have recently returned from New York where we examined the NYPD’s lauded approach to city policing. It was our intention to study the success of the New York policing model to see how those ideas can be successfully applied in Victoria.  

Some of our findings were this week featured on Channel 7 News and can be viewed via the communications section of the website. The Association looks forward to sharing further details of our New York experience with members in the near future and presenting to Government our solutions to the rising street violence that is adversely impacting all Victorians.  

    Greg Davies

    Secretary Designate