Concrete bollards for Melbourne CBD to avoid car terror attack

TEN potential terror targets in Melbourne’s CBD have been identified in a top secret government briefing, with concrete bollards planted at popular sites to avoid a car attack.

TEN potential terror targets in the CBD have been identified in a top secret government briefing.

The Sunday Herald Sun can reveal security assessments say the sites are at risk of a car attack, prompting a rapid roll out of cement barriers.

The bollards weighing up to five tonnes will be deployed at the high pedestrian traffic areas and will be installed overnight without any warning over the next two weeks.

It is understood the order to install the barricades was made by Premier Daniel Andrews and his security cabinet at a special meeting, in the wake of the London terror attack.

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The first barriers were installed at Federation Square and Bourke St on Saturday with the remainder to be in place within days.

The Andrews Government’s security cabinet subcommittee was told this week that the sites where members of the public gather were vulnerable to a London style assault.

The locations are being kept secret to avoid giving any indication to would-be terrorists that the areas are at risk.

Concrete bollards are installed at Federation Square. Picture: Hamish Blair

The bollards operation costs several hundred thousand dollars and they will all be replaced by permanent bollards within six months.

“We weren’t going to wait around for six months or twelve months while planter boxes are built so they look better,” Mr Andrews said.

“There’s no time to be wasted here. The threat of terror — the threat of hostile vehicle attacks, the threats to public safety — are all too real.”

Mr Andrews and his cabinet subcommittee made the decision Monday night after seeing the terror attack on London Bridge, where seven victims were mowed down by a van.

The Sunday Herald Sun understands Mr Andrews insisted the temporary bollards be rolled out as soon as possible.

Concrete bollards will be installed at other high risk places in the coming weeks. Picture: Hamish Blair

A close of the concrete bollards. Picture: Hamish Blair.

On the advice of Victoria Police, the decision was made to immediately install the concrete blocks in at the most high-risk locations.

Police told the government the greatest priority was Bourke St and Federation Square, where more than 60 bollards were installed early on Saturday.

It came after $10 million was set aside in last month’s Budget for the permanent bollards and other security measures following the Bourke St attack in January, which killed six pedestrians.

The whole CCTV system in the CBD is also being upgraded, including 30 more cameras, as well a siren system.

Electronic bollards will also be set up across tram tracks to stop events like Bourke St.

Police Minister Lisa Neville admitted the temporary bollards “weren’t the most attractive”, but they were about ensuring the community’s safety in the CBD.

“This is not about creating heightened fear, this is about reducing risk so that we can go about our days enjoying our city,” Ms Neville said.

The locations of future concrete bollards are being kept secret to avoid giving any indication to would-be terrorists that the areas are at risk. Picture: Hamish Blair

“When we get to the permanent structures, some of those will be things like planter boxes and street furniture and that’s what we’re working with the City of Melbourne about.

“On Monday, following London, we had a counter-terrorism committee of cabinet meeting just to get an update on what happened in London, this is all just before the Brighton siege.

“Daniel and I obviously sought an update from where we were and the likely timelines on the bollards given that, again, we saw another event of mowing down pedestrians in London.

“We were still concerned that there were still some issues around how long it was going to take to procure the bollards and get, particularly, the retractable ones in terms of Bourke St.”

Ms Neville insisted the terrorism alert level had not changed, but “it’s just this constantly changing international environment and it was certainly our strong view that we needed to move”.

“What London was is another illustration of the changing environment and the increased risk around the nature of terrorism and the choice that some of the terrorists are making (in using vehicles to attack crowds),” she said.

Opposition Leader Matthew Guy said “prevention was better than cure”.

“Daniel Andrews should support our mandatory sentencing plan to keep repeat violent offenders in jail and not out on the streets,” Mr Guy said.