Pascoe Vale electorate community safety
Anthony CIANFLONE (Pascoe Vale) (13:21): Further to my adjournment on 20 February on community safety and the discussions I have continued to have locally, my constituents continue to welcome stronger criminal justice and bail reforms; a further crackdown on serious, dangerous, violent and repeat offenders; ongoing support to help Victoria Police increase its powers, resources, presence and patrols across the community, namely through central Coburg; more flexible consideration of the deployment of protective services officers, PSOs, so they can patrol beyond local train stations to potentially include adjacent locations, such as Victoria Street Mall, Sydney Road and even Pentridge Village; opportunities for new CCTV and lighting; more assertive community outreach, social services, housing services and crime prevention measures to help better identify and support local people in need or at risk whilst tackling the root causes of crime; working to uplift our local amenity ambience, including through new activations, artworks and events; and more support for our hardworking small business owners, local traders, retail workers, local shoppers, families, residents and local social workers as we work to revitalise central Coburg whilst enhancing community safety for all.
We can be tough on crime, but we need to be tougher on the root causes of crime. I welcome the ongoing attention of the Attorney-General, the Minister for Police and Minister for Community Safety and the Minister for Youth Justice and Minister for Corrections to continue responding to these issues.