East Melbourne welcomes council’s new safety officers as early patrols deliver results

East Melbourne residents have thrown their support behind the City of Melbourne’s rollout of Community Safety Officers (CSOs), with early patrols already preventing crime and assisting vulnerable people in the neighbourhood.

The council confirmed that since the program began on October 31, CSOs have patrolled East Melbourne four times, with two further patrols scheduled in the coming weeks. While East Melbourne is not among the CBD’s highest-demand areas, the officers’ presence has already made a noticeable impact, prompting positive feedback from locals.

Lord Mayor Nick Reece said the new team was providing “a clear and visible difference across Melbourne”, helping reinforce safety, guide visitors and support vulnerable residents.

“Just last week our officers saved the life of a vulnerable person – proof of the real impact they are having on our city streets,” he said. “In East Melbourne, officers stopped a theft in progress at a retail outlet, assisted a person experiencing homelessness and spoke to people drinking, which resulted in them moving elsewhere.”

The strong response in East Melbourne follows a recent community safety forum where residents gathered to raise concerns about petty crime, theft from vehicles and homes, and rising levels of anti-social behaviour.

At that forum, Victoria Police Inspector Dale Huntington told residents that crime across Melbourne had increased by more than 20 per cent. The concerns were echoed by the East Melbourne Group (EMG), which has been advocating for stronger visible reassurance in the area.

EMG president Greg Bisinella told Inner City News that the council’s rollout of CSOs had been welcomed by the community and was an important complement to police operations.

“Residents expressed concern over the increase in theft and damage from motor vehicles along with theft from homes,” he said. “The community welcomes council’s initiative to introduce CSOs and would like to see their presence outside of the CBD, including East Melbourne.”

“While we recognise that there are higher levels of crime in the CBD, we would like to see the officers in our neighbourhood providing reassurance to residents and businesses, along with a deterrence to criminals.”

Mr Bisinella said residents were already familiar with the strong work of police in the area – from successful apprehensions linked to tyre slashings, car theft and drug activity – but viewed the CSOs as adding an important layer of day-to-day safety.

The council said it had not received any requests for additional patrols in East Melbourne so far but would continue to adjust deployment based on community reports.

The CSO program represents the city’s largest safety shake-up since the introduction of Protective Services Officers more than a decade ago. The 11-member team, trained in de-escalation, trauma-informed practice and mental health response, is authorised to enforce local laws and make arrests where necessary. They work seven days a week across long shifts aligned to peak activity periods.

While the program’s full rollout will be formally reviewed after six and 12 months, community sentiment in the CBD and surrounding neighbourhoods such as East Melbourne suggests the early signs are promising. As Mr Bisinella noted, residents want safer streets, stronger visibility and a sense that concerns raised at community forums are being acted on.