State government shortfall paves the way for the Reece Police

In a bid to reduce crime, the City of Melbourne has increased its public safety budget, despite disquiet among councillors concerned that they have been left to pick up the pieces of an underfunded police force.

The 2025–26 draft budget revealed that the council plans to invest a further $4.5 million into city safety, bringing the total to $14 million.

As part of this, $2.1 million will be invested in upgrading and expanding the Safe City Camera Program, activating more than 100 new CCTV cameras. To help deliver this, the Victorian Government will contribute an additional $3.5 million.

However, despite this investment, in the 2025-26 state budget, funding for Victoria Police to deliver services was reduced to $4.5 billion, down from the $4 .55 billion forecast for the current financial year.

This decrease was not welcomed by a number of councillors who spoke with CBD News and feel that they now bear greater responsibility to address city safety due to the Victorian Government and Victoria Police failing to address the issue.

At the Future Melbourne Committee (FMC) meeting on May 6, all councillors except Cr Dr Olivia Ball voted in favour of expanding the camera program.

Cr Dr Ball criticised the initiative, labelling it a cost-shifting exercise and expressing concern that the council was taking on an initiative that should be led by the state government.

“Given the current state of our finances, [the program’s expansion] would appear to be unwise, reckless and unwarranted,” she said. “I’m afraid I cannot support this motion tonight.”

Another councillor, who wished to remain anonymous, told CBD News that Lord Mayor Nick Reece’s strong ties to the Labor Party placed him in a compromised position when it came to bargaining with and criticising the Victorian Government.

The councillor acknowledged that city safety was extremely important, but believes greater pressure should be placed on the state government, rather than using ratepayers’ money to fill the gaps.

But the Victorian Government later announced as part of its budget on May 20 that it was contributing $3.5 million towards the Safe City Camera Network to help install more than 100 new CCTV cameras with the council.

At the May 6 FMC meeting, Cr Reece said he would like to see a significant expansion of Melbourne’s CCTV network and that the council was now in a position to directly fund the infrastructure required to facilitate this.

“Our Safe City camera network is one of the most effective in the country,” Cr Reece said. “We need to ensure we are ready to expand the network’s numbers and capability.”

The expansion will also enable footage to be used by council-authorised officers for the investigation and enforcement of criminal behaviour.

This includes incidents involving damage to public or private property, defacement or destruction of the natural environment, acts of public nuisance, and other enforcement matters that incur costs to the organisation and ratepayers.

Council management will also explore the use of video analytics to enhance the program’s effectiveness.

However, for this to proceed, the council has requested that management seek or provide advice to councillors on appropriate technologies and ensure that any changes are assessed by an expert against the Victorian Charter of Human Rights and Responsibilities.

This is essential, according to the council’s head of Innovation and Education, Cr Andrew Rowse, who said that while he supported the security camera initiative, it was vital that people’s privacy was protected and that AI was used with caution and with the correct due processes in place.

He noted that any technological advancement comes with a set of risks and potential issues. However, if this is understood and the appropriate measures are enforced from the outset, fewer issues will emerge, and the program will be more effective. •