Wood pledges safety hub for “troubled” Elizabeth St
Arron Wood has become the latest Lord Mayoral candidate to propose a raft of safety upgrades for the City of Melbourne.
Mr Wood said that if elected, his team would expand the city’s CCTV network, employ more security staff, and construct a “Community Safety Hub” at the “troubled southern end” of Elizabeth St in the CBD.
He said his team would work more closely with Victoria Police on city safety, improve accountability through regular reporting of crime data, work with body corporates to develop best practice security measures for apartment towers, and invest $2 million in youth crime prevention.
“The feedback I get from residents and businesses is that they feel unsafe and that the current leadership at Town Hall has not done enough to address their concerns over the past four years,” Mr Wood said.
“Our city has become less safe, less clean and less welcoming – and that’s hurting businesses in the city.”
Mr Wood said he would create a City Safety Portfolio that he would also chair, while his Deputy Lord Mayoral candidate Erin Deering would head a new Women’s City Safety Advisory Forum.
Ms Deering said, “we need to do more to ensure that women feel safer in the city, and this Advisory Forum will hear directly from women about what change is needed and what role Town Hall can play in delivering a safer city.”
Mr Wood told CBD News that if elected, the Safety Portfolio and the Women’s City Safety Advisory Forum would be established at the first full council meetings, while council management would be directed to scout out possible sites for the Elizabeth St community safety hub.
The Age has reported the cost of the centre, which would go into an existing building, to be $1.6 million.
Elizabeth St has received regular criticism in the post-COVID era, with local business owners saying a new pedestrian green space has led to a spike in anti-social behaviour. The street saw a fatality this month after Seddon local Andrew Truman was allegedly assaulted after leaving a live music event.
Current Lord Mayor Nick Reece has promised to employ a 30-person team of around-the-clock city security officers, double the number of CCTV cameras, and to improve lighting in the CBD. Rival Lord Mayoral candidate Anthony Koutoufides has also vowed to construct city safety booths in areas considered high risk and to improve lighting. •