Victoria Police is to go ‘back to basics’ as part of a new grassroots approach to tackle local crime and support safety by working more closely with the communities it serves.
Announced by Minister for Police, Lisa Neville, the Neighbourhood Policing initiative is now in place Statewide, having been progressively rolled out from an initial eight areas last year.
“Victoria Police already has an established presence in local communities and the initiative plans to make these connections even stronger with increased police involvement at local community forums and informal engagement activities,” Ms Neville said.
“The rollout of the Statewide Neighbourhood Policing initiative will see police compile a register of issues concerning their local community and partner with local Councils, community groups and Government Agencies to address local issues, before reporting back to residents on what’s been done,” she said.
“Police are always looking to hear from the community about what matters to them and the latest Victoria Police community sentiment survey has also opened to gauge how residents want to engage with police and how comfortable they feel approaching police and Protective Service Officers.”
Chief Commissioner for Victoria Police, Shane Patton said the initiative had already been used in Clayton to tackle a spate of street robberies that targeted students and healthcare workers on their way to the train station.
“Police conducted additional patrols in the area, teamed up with the local Council to improve lighting on back streets and had messages conveying important safety advice placed on the footpath,” Chief Commissioner Patton said.
“Robberies have dropped from a peak of more than 20 a week to fewer than one a month,” he said.
Ms Neville said police had also teamed up with the City of Monash and local businesses to boost safety in the area with improved lighting on back streets and safety messages installed on local footpaths.
“As a result, local police have reported a significant drop in crimes against the person in the area,” she said.
The Minister encouraged residents to have a voice in Victoria Police’s efforts to combat crime and take up opportunities to discuss local crime issues and their safety priorities.
Further information on Victoria Police’s Neighbourhood Policing initiative can be accessed at this PS News link.
