Maribyrnong council to spend $100k on private security in crime-plagued Footscray CBD

An inner-west council will splash more than $100,000 on around-the-clock private security to tackle a surge in violent crime and anti-social behaviour in Footscray’s CBD.

An inner-west council will fork out $100,000 on 24/7 security in a bid to crack down on spiralling anti-social behaviour in Footscray’s CBD.

The crime-plagued strip has long been a hotspot for violence and disorder — including a police shooting in April that left a man dead after he allegedly charged officers with a knife.

It comes after Maribyrnong council’s local laws team carried out more than 100 walking patrols of Footscray’s CBD but found engaging with people in high-risk areas posed a serious threat of occupational violence.

The council then hired a local security firm for a one-month trial — prompting traders to call for a permanent security presence in the CBD.

Crime statistics shows a 26 per cent spike in criminal incidents in Footscray in the past year, with crime across the broader Maribyrnong council area rising 21 per cent from 2024 to 2025.

Nicholson St Mall traders say they are being forced to consider private security as violence and drug-fuelled chaos spirals out of control. Picture: supplied.

Nicholson St Mall traders say violence and anti-social behaviour is spiralling out of control. Picture: supplied.

During a six-month trial, two private security guards would patrol the CBD around the clock at a cost of between $70,000 and $100,000.

In his report, council officer Bruce Marshall said council had a “good working relationship with Victoria Police” but regular daily and weekly patrols could not “be guaranteed”.

“With the increase in people sleeping rough, and the general increase in aggression by

Some people in Footscray are towards staff and the general public — it is

becoming more difficult for staff to safely fulfil their roles in the CBD,” he said.

The plan follows the City of Melbourne’s lead, which in February and March 2025 launched a six-week trial using private security guards to accompany local laws officers on patrol.

Two guards were paired with teams of two council officers, and according to council documents, the trial was “going well” — with “no physical assaults on Local Law Officers since the trial began.”

In June, the City of Melbourne voted to establish 11 Community Safety Officer roles – at a cost of $2m – that would be employed directly by the council and trained to enforce its local laws and reduce volatile situations across the municipality.

The council had hired two security guards to work with local laws officers in March and they will be replaced by the new 11 Community Safety Officers in coming months when the training is completed.

An innocent shopper punched at Nicholson St Mall. Picture: Supplied.

Mr Marshall said previous short-term interventions had failed to curb the growing crisis in the west.

“Footscray CBD has had a sustained period of unacceptable anti-social behaviour and a number of serious incidents involving violence and death, which have led to businesses and people using the Footscray generally feel unsafe,” he said.

“The temporary introduction of security guards to support the Local Laws service is one initiative, among many that the council is leading, that are aiming to have a positive impact on the Footscray CBD.”

Councillors passed the motion on Tuesday night.

The Herald Sun understands other metropolitan councils plagued by rising crime rates are not considering employing private security.

Moonee Valley mayor Ava Adams said the council had no plans to use private security to patrol the area, instead that the council prided itself on “being a place where everyone is safe”.

It comes after three men with knives were arrested in Moonee Ponds last week in three separate incidents, including two which involved heroic citizens’ arrests.

Hume council’s deputy mayor Naim Kurt also said the LGA had not considered needing private security but it would be “happy to support any requests from VicPol for community policing, CCTV or security guards”.

A Stonnington council spokesman said while they had hired one security guard to be present at Prahran Square overnight seven days a week, they were not looking to expand private security.

A Melton council spokeswoman said the jurisdiction has not considered employing private security.

Victoria Police said private security guards were a “matter for council”.

“Police are available 24/7 to respond to incidents and keep the community safe,” a spokeswoman said.

“We continue to encourage residents to call triple-0 (000) in an emergency.”

The Maribyrnong plan comes just three months after a police shooting in the heart of Footscray.

Two officers fatally shot a 35-year-old knife-wielding man on Albert St after he allegedly refused to drop his weapon and charged at them.

The man — who was of no fixed address — died at the scene on a pedestrian crossing.

Graphic footage shows his body lying on the crossing as police called for backup, while distressed onlookers screamed at officers.

The deadly confrontation came just weeks after Nicholson St Mall traders revealed to the Herald Sun they were weighing up private security, fed up with escalating violence and chaos.

In one shocking video obtained a woman hurls a beer keg into a shopfront, smashes the glass, grabs the shards and flings them at bystanders before being tackled to the ground.

Traders say customers are “too afraid” to use ATMs, and warn there’s an “unspoken rule” to avoid pulling out laptops or phones in public — because they’ll be stolen “in moments”.