LITTLE Malop Street was a sea of blue and white chequers yesterday as Victoria Police swarmed the controversial crime spot to launch Operation Safeguard Geelong.<\/p>\n
Victoria Police\u2019s latest safety initiative aims to target anti-social behaviour as well as drug, weapon, property and traffic offences in Geelong\u2019s city centre.<\/p>\n
The patrol came just days after the City of Greater Geelong announced it would continue working with key stakeholders to redevelop the uninviting area, which was recently dubbed \u201cAustralia\u2019s worst mall\u201d on national television.<\/p>\n
Geelong Inspector Paul Edebone said the operation would allow police to crack down on pressing issues of concern and provide muchneeded \u201cpublic reassurance\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cBy bringing together a number of smaller operations, we will be able to use those resources to saturate key hotspots and target offences that are of concern in Geelong,\u201d Inspector Edebone said.<\/p>\n
\u201cNot only do we want to detect and prevent crime, but we want the community to feel safe and have confidence in their local police.<\/p>\n
\u201cA combination of uniform and plain-clothes officers will be working so while police may not always be visible, chances are they will still be out and about patrolling the streets.\u201d<\/p>\n
According to a social media post published by Eyewatch – Geelong Police Service Area, on day one of Operation Safeguard Geelong, Victoria Police made two arrests, conducted 623 preliminary breath tests and issued 17 penalty notices for \u201cvarious offences\u201d.<\/p>\n
Operation Safeguard Geelong was supported by specialist units including Mounted Branch, Highway Patrol and Transit Safety Division.<\/p>\n
The initiative will be \u201congoing\u201d and run alongside other community engagement programs such as \u201cCoffee with a Cop\u201d.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
LITTLE Malop Street was a sea of blue and white chequers yesterday as Victoria Police swarmed the controversial crime spot to launch Operation Safeguard Geelong. Victoria Police\u2019s latest safety initiative aims to target anti-social behaviour as well as drug, weapon, property and traffic offences in Geelong\u2019s city centre. The patrol came just days after the […]<\/p>\n