By NICOLE WILLIAMS
IN A boon for public safety, Protective Services Officers (PSOs) have started patrolling Berwick Railway Station.
Member for Gembook Brad Battin joined the new PSOs at the station on Monday to make the announcement.
Mr Battin said they would provide a significant boost for community safety in the area.
“This is great news for local residents, who can now rest assured that a PSO will be patrolling the station from 6pm until after the last train, every day of the week,” he said.
Harry Hutchinson, President of the Berwick Village Chamber of Commerce said a lot of people get off the train at Berwick and Pakenham and it would make them feel safer.
“It has been a long time coming but it is here at last,” he said.
“Anything to do with public safety is a great thing.
Mr Hutchinson said the PSOs would be a continuation of the safety initiatives recently introduced to Berwick Village.
“It’s a continuation of the safety aspect of the village with the CCTV cameras and it will make Berwick a safer place day and night,” he said.
“We would encourage people to use the train more and then come into Berwick and shop.”
Mr Battin said Berwick Railway Station was one of 29 stations which will have protection every night of the week from violence, crime and anti-social behaviour.
“We now have more than 230 PSOs deployed to the rail network across Melbourne. Feedback from the community since the deployment of PSOs in February has been overwhelmingly positive, with a recent survey of night-time train users showing that 80 per cent of respondents strongly agreed that PSOs patrolling railway stations is a good idea,” he said.
Mr Battin said PSOs had undergone extensive training including weapons training, conflict resolution, how to deal with vulnerable people and people in a drunk or drug-affected state, plus initial exposure to the job under the supervision of Victorian Transit Police.
Deputy Premier and Minister for Police and Emergency Services Peter Ryan said PSOs were already making a big difference on the rail network, making arrests, detecting breaches of bail, identifying outstanding warrants, and issuing infringement notices for a range of offences.
“These officers also help protect others through their powers to detain offenders when their behaviour threatens other members of the public,” Mr Ryan said.
“Most importantly, PSOs make commuters feel safer and make Melbourne’s railway stations a safer place to be at night.”
