Right: Police check passengers at Oakleigh station, looking for weapons, drugs etc. Victoria Police is seen to be less than enthusiastic about the deployment of Protective Service Officers to provide an after-dark presence at railway stations.
Further implicationsThe state government has indicated it will take four years to recruit and train the 940 protective service officers required to fulfil its election promise and the powers of these officers are still being determined.
There remain a number of alternative proposals which may be both more viable and easier to implement. The Victorian Police Association has proposed a model that would see transit police at the most violent stations and fewer protective service officers overall. Under this model, the least hazardous stations would have neither transit police nor protective services officers. This would be a cost saving which could offset the increased expense of employing transit police.
A complementary proposal has been put by the Public Transport Users Association and the Rail, Tram and Bus Union. They are suggesting that there be uniformed police at the more violent locations, and that customer service staff be reintroduced at all stations. Metro has also supported the idea of additional customer service staff at stations.
These proposals are a more flexible response, directing different levels of support to different stations, dependent on need. They also get over the problem of arming PSOs who, despite all the assurances, may not be able to deal with the level of responsibility involved in handling volatile situations while armed.
Whether the government decides to modify its plan remains to be seen. The Police Minister has pledged that armed Protective Services Officers will be used on train stations despite the objections of the rail union. The issue seems to have become thoroughly politicised with the Opposition heaping scorn on one side and the Government digging in on the other.
However, four years is a long time. It is profoundly to be hoped that any change of policy from the Government is not the result of someone being shot by a PSO.