A council in Melbourne’s west has taken the extraordinary step of paying for private security to patrol local streets amid fears about rising crime.
But the Truganina-only trial has been branded a costly overreach that unfairly protects one suburb.
Wyndham City Council voted on Tuesday to begin a 12-month trial, allocating $372,000 for the security patrol.
Liberal-aligned councillor Preet Singh pledged the security boost during last year’s local government elections as he campaigned for Bemin Ward, which encompasses Truganina and Laverton North.
“People are angry, frustrated, fearful. They feel ignored. At times, they have talked about creating vigilante groups,” he told the meeting.
“These patrols underline that the council cares about its community and is serious about implementing further measures to enhance community safety.”
But councillors Robert Szatkowski, Susan McIntyre, Jasmine Hill, Peter Maynard and Larry Zhao all expressed concern.
“I’m still at a loss that we’re stuck with this albatross of paying for private security for one suburb within our city and not having any real prospect of being able to fund it for the rest of the city,” Szatkowski said.
“This is an absurd use of council resources. We are not a private security agency. These patrols risk damaging relationships with Victoria Police … and blur the lines of who is actually responsible for public safety.”
McIntrye said residents of some estates – like Mambourin – already paid for their own private security “out of their own pocket”.
“Are we going to refund them? Will we offer patrols in every ward? Because if we do, the costs will be enormous,” she said.
Feedback to Wyndham’s draft budget showed 43 per cent of respondents opposed the trial, 34 per cent wanted to keep it in the proposed budget, while 23 per cent wanted it changed.
But Singh claimed at Tuesday’s council meeting that many opposition submissions were “copy-paste” responses.
He also rejected criticism that the initiative overlooked other parts of the municipality.
Three different proposed amendments sought to strike out, or alter, the $372,000 trial from the budget. However, none succeeded largely thanks to the opposition of councillors Singh, Shannon McGuire, Jennie Barrera, Maria King, Deputy Mayor Josh Gilligan and Mayor Mia Shaw.
The overall budget passed 8-3.
The council’s move to fund private security patrols comes after Melbourne City Council in its May budget similarly funded a small handful of guards for the CBD.
A Wyndham City spokesperson said the council was still working through implementation details, but said it was “not a novel concept”.
“In the context of Wyndham’s $800 million budget, we have made a modest investment in a trial of security patrols for one area of the city as part of a broader community safety program. The patrols are designed to address a perceived gap in Victoria Police resourcing,” they said.
“The trial will be measurable, and the results will come back before council to determine next steps.”
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