Collingwood residents fear Cambridge St sobering up centre will cause more problems

Collingwood locals are “terrified” the relocation of the state’s sobering up centre to a residential street will see them caring for drunk and drug affected people.

Collingwood residents fear the state government will start bussing heavily drug affected people into the neighbourhood under controversial public intoxication laws soon to come into effect.

The state government originally referred to a series of reforms it was introducing as combating “public drunkenness” but in August began referring to them as “public intoxication” reforms.

The Allan government has refused to rule out whether drug-affected people — as well as drunks — will be included in its reforms, which will be rolled out on Melbourne Cup Day.

Under the changes, police will be stripped of their powers to arrest people who are intoxicated.

Police in metropolitan Melbourne will instead be instructed to arrange transport for intoxicated people to a sobering up centre on Cambridge St, Collingwood.

Regional Victorians will be offered transport to local hospitals.

Officers will also have to leave drunk and drug-affected people on the street if they refuse care.

Fresh fears among Collingwood residents were stir

Residents fear the sobering up centre will lure more drug affected people to the neighbourhood. Picture: John Grainger.

red last month when Deputy Premier Ben Carroll said he expected the community would look after drunks who turn down assistance.

“If someone is left stranded, that is the role of anyone to see if they can help, as any good Victoria would, like myself, and that’s why I believe we come together as a great state,” he said.

One local parent, who said residents were never consulted by the government and have had their concerns ignored, told the Herald Sun they were “terrified”.

“We were blindsided with the news about the centre in our quiet neighbourhood and now we’re told we should be fending for ourselves when these people are left wandering our streets,” local resident Francesca said.

Fellow resident Sharie Howie said the centre should not have been placed in the middle of a peaceful family neighbourhood.

Deputy Premier Ben Carrol. Picture: Asanka Ratnayake.

“We refuse to believe a proper risk assessment has been conducted on using this location and has been found to be acceptable,” she said.

The location is streets away from one of four trial sites, which Yarra Councillor Stephen Jolly said received “zero complaints” during the year-long trial.

“The Gertrude St trial site was in the middle of bars and clubs,” he said.

“Why in your right mind would you take it and put it in a residential street?

“Kids are sleeping. You’re bringing a drunk person or drug affected person at 3am on a Sunday morning. That’s unnecessary and annoying.”

Mr Jolly blasted the government’s “sneaky” placement of the centre, saying it was either “incompetence” or they were “setting it up to fail”.

“It’s been Kremlin style secrecy. I’ve never seen anything so mismanaged,” he said.

The government, however, said the trial site did not provide adequate capacity.

Mental Health Gabrielle Williams said the reforms could be “the difference between life or death.”

“Every Victorian deserves a safe place where they can get the support they need – for people experiencing alcohol harm, a cell is just not that place,” she said.