Safe zones for exchanging online-marketplace items have been set up at Dandenong and Pakenham police stations.
The Safer Exchange Sites are designed to be a safer alternative than their homes, parks or car parks.
The zones have clear signage outside the police stations as well as CCTV coverage and lighting.
They have been rolled out to 35 Victorian 24-hour police stations, but excluding Narre Warren and Cranbourne.
A successful trial in mid-2022 resulted in regular exchanges at the sites as well as decreased thefts and robberies from online sales in the trial areas.
Police say there had been an increase in robberies, thefts and assaults linked to online trading, peaking in 2020 before Covid lockdowns.
Smartphones were the most common high-value items stolen.
“While the overall number of assaults, thefts and robberies connected to online exchanges is low, we don’t want to see any occur,” Victoria Police’s Commander Tim Tully said.
“With the popularity of buying and selling items via online marketplaces continuing to grow, this initiative is all about police getting on the front foot to ensure an emerging crime theme doesn’t become an embedded trend.”
Commander Tully said police suggest meeting in daylight hours if possible and bringing someone with you to the exchange.
“While these sites are a safer alternative than meeting someone at your home or in a dimly lit area with no CCTV, we still encourage people to consider the risks of meeting a person they’ve never met before.”
Exchange zones have also been popular in the US.
