CCTV approved for St Kilda’s Carlise St, Acland St

A sweeping crackdown on violence in St Kilda is continuing after a beach booze ban was imposed this week, with further safety measures on the way. Here’s what’s planned.

CCTV cameras will be installed along Carlisle and Acland streets. Picture: Julie Kiriacoudis

A sweeping crackdown on crime in St Kilda continues, with further safety measures on the way for trouble prone streets.

Extra surveillance cameras approved for the beachside suburb follow police vows to step up patrols and Port Phillip Council’s move to ban booze on the beach.

It comes after a recent string of terrifying bashings and robberies on the foreshore.

The Leader in October revealed the State Government had offered Port Phillip Council $275,000 to install cameras in Carlisle and Acland streets.

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Senior Sergeant Paul Rudd said foreshore CCTV footage had last week been used to identify an offender who broke a man’s ankle during a violent scuffle.

“One of the offenders was nominated through the use of CCTV alone so without (the cameras on the foreshore) this person would not have been identified and would not have subsequently been arrested and the person who received a broken ankle … would never have had an offender held to account,” he said.

Tensions flared at the meeting when Cr Tim Baxter accused St Kilda police and Inspector Jason Kelly of pressuring the council into agreeing to stick up more and more cameras.

“There has been an unprecedented public media campaign from the local police on this issue,” he said.

“I’ve spoken to many colleagues in councils all over Victoria and they said they have never — ever — heard of the local inspector being in the local paper and other forms of media attempting to interfere in the decision making of a council.

“It is a breach of the convention that the police are there to enforce the law, not change it.

“Going to the media and getting your picture taken in the paper is not something I think is appropriate at all.”

Insp Kelly told the Leader he did not want to respond to Cr Baxter’s public slurs.

“I’ll put Tim Baxter’s comments to the side and deal with those in due course but for now I want to focus on the good community safety outcome that has been achieved,” he said.

Councillors, in a 6-3 vote, accepted the State Government’s $275,000 grant for the cameras, as well as a permanent booze ban on the St Kilda foreshore between November 1 and March 31 each year.

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