Protective services officers (PSO) will patrol shopping centres over summer as part of a series of new Victoria Police crime prevention measures.
The police force will also overhaul its deployment of PSOs, employ “reservist officers” to handle administrative tasks at police stations, and purchase 800 hand-held metal detectors.
The announcements mark day five of new measures spruiked this week by the government, designed to tackle the state’s growing crime rate.
Measures announced from Tuesday to Friday this week included new laws to address violence at protests, deterring youth crime and protections for retail and hospitality workers.
Shopping centre patrols
A 90-day trial in shopping centres to begin before Christmas — titled “Operation Pulse” — will see PSOs and police officers patrolling in groups of four, Chief Commissioner of Police Mike Bush said on Saturday.
“We, like everyone, are very disturbed by the level of violence and dishonesty in our shopping centres, and a more visible police presence will do a lot to prevent harm and crime in those areas,” he told reporters.
Mike Bush says officers will be asked to volunteer to work overtime to patrol shopping centres over summer. (ABC News)
He said it would not surprise anyone which shopping hubs were at the top of the list.
“Your Northlands, your Highpoints — the ones that have suffered more than others.”
Chief Commissioner Bush said staffing of shopping centre patrols would rely on officers volunteering to work overtime.
“We’re quite confident that we’ll get the people to do that,” he said.
In May this year there was a machete brawl involving youth gangs at Northland shopping centre in Preston. (Supplied)
The use of PSOs “cemented” at 220 train stations was being re-evaluated, Chief Commissioner Bush said, to ensure they were not wasted in places with little or no crime.
“We need to deploy them in a more intelligent way, depending on demand,” he said.
In an overhaul of the PSO strategy, 32 train stations will have a PSO presence all day and all night, and another 72 stations will have officers present from 6pm until the last train.
The remaining 120 stations, where there is typically low demand on PSOs, will be serviced by PSOs who will cover a group of six stations.
The glass doors at one entrance to the shopping centre were heavily damaged when a car drove through Northland shopping centre earlier this year. (ABC News: Leanne Wong)
This will free up PSOs to travel to different stations and patrol shopping precincts adjacent to those stations, the chief commissioner said.
A newly created State Command and Coordination Centre, to open on December 1, will make PSOs and police officers more mobile and visible, he said.
Plan to utilise more frontline police
The chief commissioner also announced he would hire 200 “reservist officers” to address the issue of frontline sworn officers being wasted on backroom duties in police stations.
“So those staff can be out in the streets preventing and responding to crime,” Chief Commissioner Bush said.
Lastly, he said, the state government would spend $940,000 on 800 hand-held metal detectors.
“These will enable us to take more knives and machetes off the street in a way that is more effective but less invasive,” he said.
A hand-held metal detector, belonging to WA Police, which were rolled out there last year. (ABC News: Keane Bourke)
Police Minister Anthony Carbines backed in all the chief commissioner’s plans.
The only extra expense would be a few million dollars to pay officers for shopping centre shifts, as well as the purchase of metal detector wands, he confirmed.
“Our PSOs are a crime reduction tool, but right now they’re hamstrung by the past and glued to their seats even if crime is occurring just down the street,” Mr Carbines said.
“Crime has changed, and so must the way we fight it.”
Police association says changes seem rushed
The Police Association said it did not reject any of the new initiatives announced on Saturday but said there was a “lack of detail or thought or planning”.
Association secretary Wayne Gatt said the plan to bring in reservist officers was a “brain fart” and too rushed.
“Victoria Police should have 17,014 police. Instead, today, it has 1,237 vacancies and hundreds more on sick leave.
“Instead of putting together a plan to recruit each and every one of these officers quickly, the government is rushing an unfunded press release.”
Mr Gatt also said the investment in 800 metal detector wands was not at the top of members’ list of much needed resources.
