Telstra St Kilda payphone dubbed ‘Uber for drugs’ likely to be moved
THIS St Kilda payphone is believed to the headquarters of an “Uber for drugs” operation in a seedy corner of the suburb. But it’s on the move after a public outcry.
Inner South
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A PAYPHONE believed to be the headquarters of an “Uber for drugs” operation in St Kilda is set to be relocated following a public outcry.
The Leader on June 6 revealed the phone, near the corner of Dalgety and Grey streets, had been dubbed a hub of “suspected illegal drug activity” by police.
Neighbours said phone numbers scrawled across the booth were being used to source drugs.
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The Leader understands it will likely be moved to a less seedy location outside Alliance Francaise.
Inspector Jason Kelly said he had written to Telstra in May, asking for the phone to be removed but the telco refused, citing increased usage including eight calls to 000 in 12 months.
But a Telstra spokesperson this week confirmed they would consider moving the phone to a site about 150m away, pending the outcome of community consultation.
“Our payphone services are regulated under the Commonwealth Government’s Universal Service Obligation, which established standards that are designed to ensure that payphones are reasonably accessible to all people in Australia,” the spokesperson said.
“Telstra must abide by these standards when considering whether to install or remove a payphone.”
The consultation period runs until September 24.
Friends of St Kilda Hill convener Darren Robinson said the new location would make it “much harder for a person who wants to use a payphone for illegal activities”.
“It’s a more visible location with greater foot traffic and better lighting so that will probably discourage people using it for that sort of thing because they won’t have the cover of darkness anymore,” he said.
Insp Kelly said he was pleased Telstra had listened to the local community and police and were considering action.
Anyone who sees anything suspicious should contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
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