By Laura Wakely
FOOTSCRAY will be the only station in the North West to receive protective service officers (PSOs) next year, while stations without toilets will be last on the list.
Victoria Police Acting Chief Commissioner Ken Lay said stations on the City Loop, North Melbourne, Richmond and Footscray would receive PSOs from February 2012.
Mr Lay said police intended to have two PSOs at every metropolitan station by 2014, but would not be placing the officers at stations without amenities like toilets.
“We’re very keen in the first instance for the PSOs to have exposure to the big areas in a supportive environment,” Mr Lay said.
“For the first 12 months they’ll be in and around the city area.
“After that 12 month period we’ll then start moving them out to the broader metropolitan area.
“We will not be expecting either PSOs or police members to be working in an environment where they haven’t got access to a toilet.”
At least 17 stations will need to be upgraded on the Craigieburn, Epping, Sydenham, Werribee and Williamstown lines for PSOs to be stationed there.
These stations include Altona, Seddon, Deer Park, Keilor Plains, Roxburgh Park, and Lalor railway station, where a sexual assault took place last month.
Police Minister Peter Ryan said it was a “basic occupational health and safety issue” to have PSOs stationed at areas without toilets.
A Department of Transport spokesperson told Star they would be working with Metro and Victoria Police to “evaluate the existing facilities at the 212 metropolitan and four regional centres to determine the necessary improvements required”.
But the spokesperson gave no indication of the cost or time it would take to add toilets to all stations.
Delahey Action Group secretary David Anderson has been campaigning for better public transport in the West and said 2014 was “far too late” to roll out PSOs at suburban stations.
“We believe too much has been given to the east at the expense of the west,” Mr Anderson said.
“We don’t want more than the east we just want to be brought up to the same standard.”
While he welcomed the addition of toilets at all stations, he said the Government should also be providing shelter at all stations for the PSOs and commuters.
Earlier this month Western Metropolitan MP Bernie Finn told Parliament PSOs would be “an answer to a prayer” at Sunshine station, which he described as an unsafe “hell hole” for commuters.
Mr Finn told Star last week that he would be speaking to Mr Ryan about getting PSOs at Sunshine station before 2014.
“Sunshine is a high priority in terms of protecting commuters, given degree of crime and violent crime,” Mr Finn said.
But he said upgrading stations without toilets could take longer.
“You can’t have people standing on platforms until midnight without a toilet,” Mr Finn said.
“It’s not just a plus for the PSOs, but a plus for the commuters as well.”
