By Cara Waters
Melbourne lord mayoral candidate Arron Wood pledges to tackle crime “hotspots” in the CBD, such as Elizabeth Street, and to install more security cameras and deploy security officers if elected.
The southern end of Elizabeth Street, opposite Flinders Street Station, has a high concentration of fast-food and bottle shops and has long attracted people with complex social problems, including homelessness, mental illness and addiction.
Lord mayoral candidate Arron Wood wants to install more CCTV cameras and deploy more security officers in Melbourne.Credit: Chris Hopkins
“A place that should be a gateway to our city is anything but,” Wood said.
“Speaking to traders in the area who have had some really horrific interactions, people have come into their cafes or restaurants, particularly after hours, assaults have occurred.”
Wood said commuters specifically avoided the area, which “tells you that something is deeply wrong”.
His plans include a $1.6 million community safety hub to be installed in an existing building on Elizabeth Street for daily outreach teams, and for City of Melbourne staff and police to co-ordinate responses to anti-social behaviour.
Data from the Crime Statistics Agency show criminal incidents have increased by 15 per cent in the past year across the City of Melbourne.
However, Victoria Police said the crime rate in Melbourne had dropped by 17 per cent over the past decade.
“This area has only experienced two years over the past decade with a lower crime rate than currently,” a spokeswoman said. “General duties police, PSOs [protective service officers] and specialist police patrol the CBD area every single day.”
Wood said that if elected lord mayor, he would expand Melbourne’s CCTV network by installing dozens of new cameras and deploy about 20 extra City of Melbourne security staff to the existing team of 50 staff to work with police, to defuse volatile situations on the streets.
“The best people to really take the lead role in city safety in our city are Victoria Police, but what we would be doing is complementing that work with a security team, particularly around our major event times,” he said.
“It would be very much about de-escalating anti-social behaviour, and where we have illegal behaviour, the first call that they would be making would be to Victoria Police.”
Wood pledged a 10 per cent reduction in crime and said he would hold fortnightly meetings with police, City of Melbourne compliance officers and support organisations such as the Salvation Army and St Vincent’s.
He also promised to invest $2 million in youth crime prevention and establish a women’s city safety advisory forum chaired by Erin Deering, his deputy lord mayoral candidate.
Incumbent Lord Mayor Nick Reece has pledged to create a 30-person team of city safety officers who would wear Kevlar vests and have body-worn cameras, and to double the number of security cameras in the city by installing 200 more at a cost of $13.65 million.
Independent candidate Anthony Koutoufides has promised to install manned safety booths across city hotspots for residents, workers and visitors if he is elected.
Postal packs for Victoria’s council elections were mailed last week and voting is required by 6pm on Friday, October 25.
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