By Charlene Macaulay
Protective Services Officers (PSOs) will man Werribee train station during the day from next year under a Liberal Party plan to curb crime at transport hubs.
The Liberal Party has promised it will assign a second shift of PSOs to Melbourne’s most dangerous train stations, including at Werribee, which will run from 10am-6pm if it wins this month’s election.
Western Metropolitan MP Bernie Finn said in the past four years, harassment and public nuisance offences had gone up by 127 per cent at Werribee train station, while assaults were up 20.4 per cent.
“Werribee is one of 20 stations that has one of the worst crime rates,” Mr Finn said.
“I’ve been told by a number of people that Werribee is not a pleasant place to be.
“This is a win-win for the local community …it will bring peace of mind to people, especially women and kids.”
Liberal candidate for Werribee, Gayle Murphy, said she had seen first-hand the impact PSOs had had on making commuters feel safe at night.
All of Wyndham’s train stations – both metropolitan and V/Line – are staffed with PSOs every night from 6pm until the last train.
Werribee and Hoppers Crossing were among the first stations to get PSOs in 2012 when they were rolled out under the then-Liberal government.
Last year, PSOs were given new powers to target anti-social behaviour and crime at stations, in particular the power to arrest a person who has breached their parole, conduct searches for illicit drugs and request details from people who have witnessed a crime.
