A CAMPAIGN to change Wyndham’s image as dangerous and lawless includes a beefed-up weekend police force and a crackdown on crime.
The strategy also involves hauling young people before the city’s police boss with their parents if they are caught doing the wrong thing.
Wyndham’s acting police inspector, Senior Sergeant Bill Weatherly, said he expected the campaign, code-named Operation Saffron, to be “long and difficult”.
It was launched after a wild confrontation between police and a mob of teenagers on 9 March that sent three officers to hospital and seriously damaged six police cars.
“This is about improving perceptions of safety, and right now people here don’t have that perception,” he said.
“That’s not something that will change overnight.”
Up to six extra police vehicles, with two officers each, will be rostered mainly from Hobsons Bay, but at times, from as far away as Ballarat, to help Wyndham colleagues at peak times.
They are concentrating on under-age drinking, dangerous driving, and controlling wild parties.
The campaign would mean “zero tolerance” to serious crime, said Sen Sgt Weatherly.
“We want to show residents we are pro-active and working on some very tangible results,” he said.
A back-to-basics approach was needed, especially among teenagers and young adults, who made up about 20 per cent of Wyndham’s population, he said.
“If a youth is now charged – whether it be for under-age drinking or hoon driving – they’ll need to see me in person or go straight to court,” said Sen Sgt Weatherly, a 35-year-police veteran.
The campaign would run indefinitely. “There are no targets or deadlines,” he said. “It will take as long as it takes.”
The operation has come under attack from police union secretary Paul Mullett, who said moving officers from other stations offered a “Band-Aid solution” to Werribee’s police shortage.
However, Hobsons Bay police chief Mick Millen said sending police to where they were needed was a normal procedure.
It was no different than an operation that assigned extra police to Williamstown during a recent campaign to stop hoon driving on the foreshore, he said.
Police plan to balance their new tough image with programs that help them integrate into the community.
They include establishing sports tournaments between police teams and local youth, and offering more cultural awareness training to members.
“Many young people see police on the wrong side,” said Sen Sgt Weatherly.
“We want to be out there in a number of roles, not just with a big stick.”
Wyndham City Council mayor Shane Bourke applauded the campaign, but said more police were still needed in the city.
