Melbourne Mayoral candidate Arron Wood pledges more CCTV, drugs task force and to stop Queen Victoria Market safe injecting room
City safety is heating up as a key council election issue, with one candidate vowing to bring more CCTV to the city, push for a drugs task force, and put a stop to the Queen Victoria Market safe injecting room.
Melbourne City
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Melbourne CBD safety is heating up as a key council election issue, with one candidate vowing to put in more CCTV, push for an ice and heroin police task force, and put a stop to the Queen Victoria Market safe injecting room.
Melbourne City Mayoral candidate Arron Wood has pledged 20 additional safety cameras for CBD if elected.
The location for the 20 camera locations would be based on recommendations from Victoria Police and the Salvation Army, with Westwood Place and Rose lane among the first likely sites.
Extending the mobile vehicle cctv unit to operate 7 days per week would allow it to attend more calls from residents or business owners.
“Sadly, history has shown us that crime can escalate during an economic downturn, as Melbourne is experiencing post COVID-19, so it is vital that we switch our focus back to improving safety and security in the city,” he said.
Mr Wood said a heroin and ice task force would make the city safer.
“I want to see the Victorian Government step up and create a metropolitan Melbourne heroin and ice task force to co-ordinate and implement early intervention, rehabilitation pathways, co-located detox and rehab facilities, drug overdose response, drug education, enhanced street outreach and mental health and counselling services,” he said.
But Mr Wood said he would not back a push for a safe injecting room near the Queen Victoria Market.
“I support a harm-minimisation and public health approach to drug addiction but will stand up for our ratepayers against inappropriate locations for injecting rooms, such as the Victorian
Government proposed for Victoria Street, near Queen Victoria Market,” he said.
Melbourne has become a ghost town during its stage four lockdown but criminal, anti-social and illegal street activity has continued.
Recent shocking crimes include a woman followed and attacked in a ‘safe’ RMIT laneway and a two suspicious deaths in Richmond being investigated as a murder-suicide.
Crime Statistics Agency data in the year to March revealed Melbourne’s CBD as having the state’s most drug dealing and trafficking offences at 164 and Yarra (Richmond, 125) came in second.
Melbourne’s CBD had 1131 drug use and possession offences.
Melbourne crime statistics for the year ending June 2020
Offences recorded: 35,727
Criminal incidents: 26,405
Alleged offender incidents: 12,083
Victim reports: 13,638
Family incidents: 1,779
MORE MELBOURNE CITY NEWS
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CHILD, 5, LEADS ‘GREEN LADY’ TRAFFIC LIGHT PUSH
GANG’S REVENGE ATTACK ON SEX WORKER AFTER FRIEND GETS STD
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Contact Grace at grace.mckinnon@news.com.au