Melbourne to share its crime-fighting techniques - The Age

Robert Doyle. Photo: Ben Millar

Melbourne's early successes in stopping city street crime will be discussed at a London conference attended by policing and city leaders from around the world.

After years of negative publicity about the safety of the streets, lord mayor Robert Doyle and Victoria Police Superintendent Rod Wilson will this week present a paper pointing to signs of success in dealing with the problem.

Cr Doyle said the city's overall crime rate, including assaults, was down by about 3 per cent. This bucked the trend of other Australian capitals, which were seeing increases. Melbourne was heading in the right direction, he said.

''We don't think we've won, by any means, but there does seem to be just that change,'' Cr Doyle said.

The pair were invited by London mayor Boris Johnson, who is hosting the Policing Global Cities conference.

Authorities in London have reduced crime by 11 per cent in the past five years. Mr Johnson recently released his ''20-20-20'' plan to cut crime, reduce costs and increase public confidence, each by 20 per cent, by 2016.

Cr Doyle said the conference was interested in the different approaches used in Melbourne.

Apart from an increased police presence, the city is using ''softer'' approaches, such as ''Street Teams'', which came from an idea by the Salvation Army's Major Brendan Nottle.

The teams are made up of trained young people who work with police during the night to help young drug or alcohol-affected people. They carry water and blankets as well as rubber thongs for young women who lose their shoes or are struggling with high heels.

Major Nottle said the situation in the city was improving, with a greater police presence. Street Teams were also contributing.

''It means that police have an alternative now, other than locking people up or being stuck with someone who's drunk until an ambulance arrives,'' he said.

But Major Nottle said problems remained, including predatory behaviour towards young, vulnerable women by older men.

Major Nottle said some young women alone at 3am or 4am presumed it was safe to wander around. ''We see it every weekend,'' he said. ''The older men that are there just don't fit.''

Major Nottle said such men, who are by themselves, could occasionally be seen in King Street, watching the nightclubs across the road.

The issue of violence and crime reached a crisis point about five years ago.

The Police Association complained that the force was under siege, and a Nielsen poll conducted for Fairfax Media showed almost three-quarters of Melburnians thought the city was becoming more violent.