Shock data details nightmare on Elizabeth St
Startling data reveals the true extent of issues on trouble-plagued Elizabeth St, with an average of 130 calls made to police and paramedics daily.
Victoria
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More than 4300 triple-0 calls were made for emergency incidents at the trouble-plagued Elizabeth St in Melbourne’s CBD in the past 11 months.
The number of calls to Emergency Services Telecommunications Authority – which includes police, ambulance and fire – has jumped by close to 25 per cent as traders become increasingly distraught about crime, anti-social behaviour and medical emergencies.
Despite Covid lockdowns, 4308 calls were made to triple-0 from January 1 to December 1, compared to 3464 in the same period last year, with emergency services logging a triple-0 call every two hours.
The data also revealed a spike in calls requesting police attendance to the strip, with 3354, compared to 2802 for the same period the previous year.
A total of 783 requests were also made for an ambulance, up from 523.
Calls for assistance from fireys was also up from 139 to 171.
Photos published in last week’s Sunday Herald Sun showed people using bongs and sprawled over footpaths as pedestrian activity increased after pandemic shutdowns.
Artificial grass that had been installed by the council on the Elizabeth and Flinders street intersection was removed a few days after the Sunday Herald Sun’s revelations.
On Friday night, the rough sleepers who’d made the south end of Elizabeth Street their home were nowhere to be seen.
There was a visible police presence, with officers patrolling on foot and looking for trouble, signalling bad behaviour would no longer be tolerated.
The Sunday Herald Sun visited Elizabeth St on Saturday and spoke to several traders who said they were “concerned” about ongoing crime and anti-social behaviour in the area.
A female retail worker, 29, said she was “racially attacked” last week and urged police to increase patrols.
“A man was screaming at me and being racist, I didn’t feel safe and I had to close up my shop,” she said. “It’s not good what’s happening here.
“I have seen people injecting themselves with drugs and drinking alcohol. I would like to see more police in the area, it would help us all feel safer.”
Another retail worker, 41, who has worked on Elizabeth St for more than 20 years, said she was left “shocked” after seeing a woman overdose outside her shop last year.
“She turned blue, my children were in the shop at the time and I had to rush them out the back,” she said.
“I call triple-0 every week because the drug use is out of control.
“I have also had people steal bags and other items from my shop.
“I think the whole street needs to be cleaned up.”
Lord Mayor Sally Capp said it was disappointing to hear business owners were being impacted by anti-social behaviour in the area.
“Concerns have been expressed for some time about this issue and we are pleased Victoria Police is now responding,” she said. “We are committed to cleaning up Elizabeth St south so that it can once again be a great place to shop and to trade.
“We will continue to work closely with police and stakeholders. We are regularly in contact with traders in the area to make sure they are kept informed and engaged throughout this process.”
Victoria Police said it would continue to work closely with the Salvation Army and city council to engage with the homeless and ensure they had essential services.
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