By Goya Dmytryshchak
“Hey, cuz!” A beachgoer gives a friendly greeting as she passes officers from the Hobsons Bay summer policing crew.
Soon after, a teenage boy stops so his dog, Zeus, can receive a friendly pat on the back from police.
It’s typical of the reception they receive.
Senior Sergeant Tim Jacobs said the crew, which operates at Altona and Williamstown beaches from mid-November to mid-March, had been successful in making the community feel safe.
“We’re effectively identifying offences and preventing issues down here that we would not normally have seen had we not been here,” he said.
About two months into the patrol period, he said police had detected about 200 offences, including more than 150 traffic infringements.
“Enforcing the alcohol prohibition around the beach areas that Hobsons Bay council have implemented is probably one of our key focuses in deterring public order issues,” Senior Sergeant Jacobs said.
One case, due to reach court in March, involves a 23-year-old man who allegedly assaulted an officer with a beer bottle in early January. He is accused of assaulting a further three police members during arrest and has been charged with eight offences.
Police have been breathalysing drivers at different times of the day in streets around the beaches.
“You’d be surprised when we do catch people – quite often it’s not when the majority of us would think that type of offending would occur,” Senior Sergeant Jacobs said.
“Often it’s early morning because people have consumed alcohol overnight and think that they’re right to drive, when in fact the alcohol hasn’t worked its way out of their system.
“Also, commonly on your hot days, generally later on in the day when people have been drinking … they haven’t been vigilant enough to keep track of the quantities they’ve been drinking and quite often people will get caught then.”
Police say the trial closure of part of the Esplanade at Pier Street has been beneficial in curbing hoon-related behaviour and other crimes.
The 100-metre stretch of road between Altona Life Saving Club and Weaver Reserve will be closed until March.
While St Kilda beach has been hit with crime this summer, Altona and Williamstown have been largely immune.
“It’s probably because we’ve been quick to jump on any issues and we’ve taken that pro-active stance in relation to having the summer policing here for the last few years,” Senior Sergeant Jacobs said.
“We’ve always been on the front foot in the north-western suburbs and especially around here in Hobsons Bay.
“And also with the support of the council, with their tight prohibition laws in relation to the consumption of alcohol; I think they’re some of the tightest in the state.
“It’s certainly given us enough power to intervene and hold people to account … I think it creates a more friendly environment and also people know where they stand.”
