Geelong police launch ‘safe zone’ for online sales

A DESIGNATED exchange zone has been established outside Geelong Police Station to provide the community with a safer space to meet and exchange items purchased second-hand through online marketplaces.

The site is well-lit, has clear signage and CCTV coverage and aims to provide both buyers and sellers with a safer alternative to meeting people they don’t know at other locations, such as at their homes, or in parks and carparks.

The ‘Safer Exchange Site’ is one of 35 to be set up outside 24-hour police stations across the state.

The move follows the successful six-month trial of Safer Exchange Sites at four police stations in Melbourne’s northeast suburbs in mid-2022, motivated by an increase in robberies, thefts and assaults linked to online trading.

While instances of this form of offending have decreased since their pre-COVID lockdown peak in 2020, Safer Exchange Sites have been established across the state to ensure the trend does not return.

Commander Tim Tully said Victoria Police did not want to see any assaults, thefts and robberies connected to online exchanges occur.

“With the popularity of buying and selling items via online marketplaces continuing to grow, this initiative is all about police getting on the front foot to ensure an emerging crime theme doesn’t become an embedded trend,” he said.

“While these sites are a safer alternative than meeting someone at your home or in a dimly lit area with no CCTV, we still encourage people to consider the risks of meeting a person they’ve never met before.

“Police suggest meeting during daylight hours if possible and bringing someone with you to the exchange.”