By Cam Lucadou-Wells
A police station will be installed at Fountain Gate shopping centre under a State Coalition community safety proposal.
Opposition leader Matthew Guy announced a $7.2 million election pledge for police ‘shopfronts’ at the state’s 12 largest shopping centres.
During opening hours, up to four police officers will be stationed at Fountain Gate.
Mr Guy described the initiative as a new way of combating crime, a departure from the Government’s “more-of-the-same approach”.
“We’re offering something completely different and I think Victorians want a different approach when it comes to law-and-order.
“More-of-the-same is not working.”
In essence, it was bringing police to the people.
Fountain Gate was now “a town within a town” – “a major retail hub with thousands of people inside it at any one time”, Mr Guy said.
“A police presence in the middle of it is now essential.”
Mr Guy said police wouldn’t be taken from the front line for the initiative, but be covered by the Coalition’s yet-to-be-announced police recruiting policy.
Police officers were preferred to the mooted State Government model of PSOs in shopping centres.
Mr Guy said PSOs were more suitable for patrolling government-owned sites such as courts, Parliament and train stations; police were preferable for privately-owned locations.
“I think you need to have a more immediate police presence (at shopping centres).”
Mr Guy said there had been discussions with shopping-centre proprietors such as Westfield to provide rent-free space for the shopfronts.
“You’ll find shopping centre proprietors will go above and beyond because it means (their patrons) know there’s a police officer just a couple of minutes away at worst.
“At best they’re just milliseconds away.”
Noelene Nolan, of Hampton Park, who has been the victim of two recent home invasions, lent her support.
As a regular shopper in Fountain Gate, she felt intimidated by large groups of up to 30 young people “in hoodies” loitering and brawling at entrances.
“They’re loud and they’re swearing at people walking in and out.”
Other shoppers and workers told Star News they would feel safer with a permanent police presence.
“There’s a lot goes on around here that police don’t even know about,” worker Ally Degen said.
Ms Degen has been hassled by groups of younger people to buy them cigarettes and alcohol.
She prefers not to use the centre’s bus stop – which is crowded with people. When she does, she feels wary.
A business owner, who didn’t wish to be named, said he didn’t think a police shopfront was necessary.
“Just have extra patrols.”
Narre Warren North Liberal candidate Vikki Fitzgerald said there was a perception that police were not around at Fountain Gate.
“Families want to go out on a Saturday night, go to a movie, go to dinner.
“(But they) don’t want to go out of their homes because they’re concerned about whether they’ll make it home.”
Police Association secretary Wayne Gatt said that it would ensure a quick police response to crimes at shopping centres. It would also be an important deterrent.
“Police visibility in the community is important.
“The next step is putting police back into police stations – that’s an issue for both politicians and police command.”
A Government spokesman said that the Victoria Police Chief Commissioner Graham Ashton was being given the “resources and powers he needs to keep public spaces safe, including shopping centres”.
“Our new 3,135 police can be deployed wherever the Chief Commissioner sees fit.”
He said the previous Liberal government cut police numbers.
