Crime-riddled St Kilda streets to get CCTV after months of public violence and drug use

ST KILDA’S most crime-riddled streets will get surveillance cameras, with Port Phillip councillors last night finally bowing to public pressure.

A laneway off Little Grey St St Kilda, where residents have been besieged by daily assaults, violence and drug use. Picture: Penny Stephens

• Langbroek demands CCTV in St Kilda
• Community plea for CCTV to fix drug problem
• CCTV offer for troubled St Kilda streets rejected
• Drugs, prostitution, assaults: is this ‘the new Gatwick’?

St Kilda’s most crime-riddled streets will get state-funded surveillance.

Port Phillip councillors last night bowed to pressure from people living near Little Grey St, where crime has surged since closure of the infamous Gatwick Hotel in nearby Fitzroy St late last year, voting in favour of accepting the state government’s offer to pay for CCTV cameras in the area.

It comes after councillors two weeks ago voted to stall the project amid concerns it would push crime into non-monitored streets.

Friends of St Kilda Hill spokesman Darren Robinson told last night’s meeting the community had been “broken apart” by the rise in crime and anti-social behaviour.

“The community is completely in disarray about safety — they no longer walk and talk in the street and children are no longer playing in the street,” he said.

“We believe CCTV will bring community back to the street.”

Resident David Van said the rise of anti-social behaviour over the past six months was “beyond anything anyone should have to live through”.

A scene from Little Grey St, one of the crime hotspots. Picture: Penny Stephens

Albert Park state Labor MP Martin Foley told the Leader he was buoyed by the council’s “change of heart” on the issue.

“I welcome the council’s belated support for the state’s offer for this sensible measure,” he said.

It is not yet known how much money the State Government will fork out for the project, or if they will agree to mobile CCTV cameras but Mr Foley said he would “take advice from Victoria Police as to the best manner in which to deliver” the state-funded surveillance.

Cr Dick Gross told the meeting his “real fear” was the cameras wouldn’t make people safer but would “just make new and different place unsafer”.

“I think we need to have a flexible, mobile solution which doesn’t lead to an arms race of cameras throughout the suburb.”

Cr Marcus Pearl said the cameras should be “installed as soon as humanly possible”.

Cr Tim Baxter said it was a “pretty big move” for him, but community outcry had persuaded him to support the installation of cameras, despite his belief CCTV was not the best solution.

Senior Sergeant Kevin Treacy said the cameras would improve safety and give police more tools to do their job effectively.

He also urged the council to install signage to let people know “they are under the watchful eye of police”.

Most councillors voted to accept the funding offer under the condition the government met “the full infrastructure, planning, purchase, project management, operating and installation costs of the additional cctv system, and the system’s installation being easily relocatable or mobile post the Fitzroy street cctv trial”.

Only councillors Ogy Simic and Katherine Copsey voted against the cameras.