Superintendent Michael Reid’s mission for safer Geelong
Born and raised in Geelong’s industrial heart, the city’s top cop has outlined police plan to clean up the CBD and combat youth crime. SPECIAL REPORT
Geelong’s top cop walks into a room with the calm confidence of a man who knows every corner of the city, and a lot of the crooks hiding in it.
Superintendent Michael Reid didn’t need a map of his service area when he accepted the massive role last year, as he’s lived, breathed, and occasionally bled for this region his whole life.
Raised in the city’s industrial heart and educated at Newcomb High, the 54-year-old now commands about 600 officers across the Western Region in one of the state’s busiest and most complex policing divisions.
“I was born here. I went to school here. My friends and family live here. My kids live here. So I’m part of the community,” he said from his Mercer St office.
“I don’t think you can have any greater motivation or drive to do a good job than that.”
Cleaning up Geelong’s troubled CBD is a big challenge for the 29-year police veteran, but one he’s meeting head on.
The city centre has its issues, with violent brawls, drug use and a homeless problem that’s turned shopfronts into shelters and kept many people away.
“We want people to come into the CBD and feel safe, and I know some probably don’t,” he said.
“So that is a big priority. People feeling safe is important to me.”
His officers have ramped up foot patrols, launched covert drug operations, and also teamed up with council, business leaders and the media in an effort to change behaviour and attitudes towards the town’s heart.
Drug detection dogs, weapon searches and liquor licensing checks are being regularly used.
“There’s three different environments in the city,” Mr Reid said.
“We have a daytime crowd, which includes young people, workers and shoppers.
“We have the dinner crowd, for lack of a better term, and then there is the night life crowd.
“And we want each and every person visiting the CBD in those phases to be safe and feel safe.”
When asked about the increase in young people carrying knives, he said youth crime is one of his biggest worries.
But also a big motivator.
“They’re unfortunately overrepresented in offending, and also overrepresented as victims,” he said.
While edged blade offences and youth offending are rife in Melbourne, culminating in a statewide ban of the sale of machetes, the former Army serviceman said he felt ready to tackle any spike in Geelong.
“We do see cross border offending, but not a lot,” he said.
“We are lucky in that sense, but we have been very proactive with our focus on youth for the last decade and been doing it a lot longer than other areas.
“But we can’t rest on our laurels, we’ve continually got to be on top of it.”
Geelong has had a specialised youth tasking unit for over 10 years, and is well led by a Divisional Management Team comprising of Inspector Peter Nichols, Inspector Ilena Pucar, Inspector Matt Trask and Detective Inspector Karl Curran.
Using expanded search powers as part of Operation OMNI, police have increased spot checks at large events and shopping centres in Corio, Waurn Ponds and the CBD, and the night-life precinct.
Leaders have also been working closely with GMHBA Stadium to ensure every person who goes through the turnstiles is searched.
“It has been sending a strong message that if you carry a weapon, you’re likely to be stopped,” he said.
“I can honestly say I’d love to put myself out of a job, because my priority is preventing crime.”
Mr Reid, who surfs every weekend and is a proud Cats supporter, spent 13 years in the Special Operations Group - regarded as the most elite on the force.
It’s the type of environment where pressure is constant and mistakes aren’t an option.
“I learnt a great deal in those years,” he said.
“Putting a team in high risk situations, and being in them yourself over a long period of time, I guess it does prepare you to deal with stress and certain situations.”
He spent the last three years as Inspector before his promotion to Superintendent, calmly navigating the kind of chaos most people never see.
It seems to have prepared him well to lead a policing division charged with keeping more than 290,000 people safe.
“It’s important to me as a leader of Victoria Police and our community … that I’m confident in what I do.”
And in a town where crime doesn’t sleep and the challenges won’t stop, that kind of leadership isn’t just reassuring.
It’s essential.
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