Mayor backs cop kiosk
Police presence increases for Operation City Safe
GEELONG mayor Bruce Harwood has supported a push for a permanent police kiosk to be set up in the city’s troubled centre.
It comes after a spate of ugly incidents in the area, which have included brutal daylight assaults.
Cr Harwood said a permanent base for police in the centre could be the best way of tackling the scourge.
“Evidence from around the world has shown that the greatest deterrent to antisocial behaviour and criminal activity is a visible police presence,” he said.
“This could lead to a greater sense of safety and wellbeing in and around the areas police are present, enhance people’s willingness to enjoy the space and create more opportunity for family-friendly activities.”
But the idea has failed to gain support from the State Government, which has refused to commit to establishing the kiosk.
Last month, the state Opposition pledged to base police permanently out of Westfield Geelong if it wins government, saying it would allow officers to regularly patrol areas including the Little Malop St mall.
A Government spokes- woman did not give a direct answer to the Geelong Advertiser’s questions on on whether it planned to set up a city centre kiosk, saying only that it was “thankful for the hard work of local police for their efforts in driving down crime in the local community”.
The renewed push for a per- manent police presence comes as police descend on Geelong’s CBD for a two-week operation.
Officers, including from the mounted branch, have been patrolling the city centre as part of Operation City Safe.
The operation started on Wednesday and is targeting street and public order offen- ces around the Little Malop St mall, Market Square and Westfield.
It follows a series of violent incidents in the mall, including a 36-year-old man who was knocked unconscious in March, and a female shopper hit in the face with a bottle in February.
Geelong Senior Sergeant Mick Turner said the CBD had a poor reputation. “We’re there to reassure people that it is a safe place to go,” he said.
Sen-Sgt Turner said he believed a visible police presence in the area could help reduce crime and improve perceptions of safety.