One-stop Cop Shop

By Shaun Inguanzo
SHOPPERS will play a vital role in slashing crime if VicUrban approves a plan by police to open a cop shop in central Dandenong.
Victoria Police Assistant Commissioner Paul Evans told Star last week that police were talking with Greater Dandenong Council and VicUrban about opening a shopfront police station in Lonsdale Street to make it easier for residents to report crime.
Mr Evans said the shop was part of a blueprint police were drawing up to tackle crime in the region over the next decade.
He said the shopfront would extend Dandenong’s police presence and let residents report information on crimes without the need to visit the Langhorne Street Police Station.
Superintendent Chris Ferguson said the shopfront idea was modelled off a successful trial in South Australia and would be just the second of its kind in Victoria, behind Frankston.
“It will be a staffed, local cop shop running from 9am to 5pm, but will be open up to 16 hours at busy times of the year,” he said.
“The shop will give us a bigger presence, and it will help us reduce theft from motor cars.”
Supt Ferguson said Lonsdale Street was at the top of Victoria Police’s list for a central location but with VicUrban touting Dandenong Train Station as a possible gateway to the city, police would look at that location, too.
Mr Evans said the cop shop was only one option being discussed with the council and VicUrban in order for police to be part of central Dandenong’s $290 million revitalisation project. He was unsure when the idea was likely to be confirmed.
“We have to talk to VicUrban and the council and work in with them,” he said.
But he said the cop shop was likely to be a part of Victoria Police’s 10 year blueprint to tackle crime in the region.