State told: keep train security, give us cops

ERIN PEARSON
STATE Government should keep its train station security staff and send more police to Geelong instead, according to a senior officer.
The officer, who declined to be identified, said the city needed 30 extra cops immediately rather than the new “police service officers” (PSOs) for railway stations.
The Government plans to deploy 940 PSOs state wide, with Geelong’s arriving some time next year.
The officer said the Geelong division was screaming out for police, with an extra 130 needed “long-term”.
The PSOs would create extra work for the Geelong force because they could only hold offenders and would need uniformed officers to take them back to police stations, he said.
Police Association Victoria secretary Greg Davies said the Geelong’s PSOs should instead work in court security to free-up uniformed officers for other work.
“This would require a shift in policy because they’re only being provided under the proviso of State Government’s election commitment but it’s something that should be considered,” he said.
Geelong Police Inspector Chris Gawne confirmed the city’s train stations had “very little” crime.
“We’d welcome any PSOs with open arms but crime at our stations at this stage isn’t as bad as other areas,” he said.
“Stations here by and large are free of a lot of problems but they (PSOs) would certainly help bolster our response to improve the perception of safety along railway lines.”
Shadow police minister James Merlino critised the Government’s PSO rollout in parliament last week.
He said the Government had promised to put PSOs at 13 regional railway stations but his investigations had revealed only four would be be manned.