Police on the beat to boost community safety

Victoria Police local area commander for Melbourne West Inspector Craig Pearson says his team is fully committed to working closely with the community to ensure a safer environment for residents and traders.

“It’s really important we work together to make sure the community not only looks safe but feels safe,” Insp. Pearson said in his address to Carlton traders during a business network meeting on October 31 which was hosted by the Carlton business association, Carlton Inc.

Insp. Pearson said local police were focusing on building strong partnerships in the community, with officers conducting foot patrols along Lygon St and speaking to businesses to address any community concerns and “to listen and get a sense of what’s going on”.

He said a “perennial issue” was illegal e-scooter activity, but he said local police had launched a campaign to address these concerns and "you can already see the police operation is changing behaviour".

Insp. Pearson also spoke about this year’s Victoria Police community sentiment survey in which “safety in public areas” and “safety of my property and possessions” were listed as the top two concerns.

He said additional resources including Highway Patrol Units, bicycle patrol, plain clothes officers and uniform police from the neighbourhood police team tasking force, and recruits undergoing training were also “being deployed in Lygon St” and the wider precinct to ensure the area remained a vibrant destination. 

Insp Pearson said while crime was overall down in the area, officers were also targeting theft from motor vehicle offences, which was a main “driver of crime” in the City of Melbourne. •