By CASEY NEILL
PROTECTIVE services officers (PSOs) are assaulted at Dandenong Railway Station more frequently than at any other location in Victoria.
Dandenong also ranks third across the public transport network for overall crime.
But Transit Inspector Graham Higginbotham said PSOs and police were at risk every time they went to work.
“There are no issues with recruiting PSOs to work in Dandenong,” he said.
“PSOs complete a 12-week training program that includes operational safety and tactics training.
“The training prepares them to safely work in a dynamic environment with a high level of unpredictability.”
Insp Higginbotham said at least two PSOs were deployed together.
“The number of PSOs and police stationed at Dandenong each evening is based on need,” he said.
“We use our intelligence to determine where and when we place our police across the public transport system, right down to the most at-risk time, day of the week and locations where crimes do and may occur.”
He said there had been a reduction in serious crime at railway stations since PSOs hit platforms in February 2012. However, there has been an increase in overall crime.
“We believe that a lot of this increase is due to the work that PSOs are doing,” he said.
“We believe that PSOs will continue to detect and deter crime.”
Insp Higginbotham said that, anecdotally, the most common crimes PSOs detected at railway stations were graffiti, theft from motor vehicles and assault.
Insp Higginbotham said in one case a victim had their credit card stolen in a robbery in the Dandenong CBD on 11 August.
“Less than 30 minutes later, PSOs working at the Dandenong Railway Station observed three males matching the description of the offenders involved in the robbery and arrested them before they could commit any further offences,” he said.
“The offenders were handed over to local police who charged them with robbery related offences.”
