A six-month security program will be conducted in the Footscray CBD.
Maribyrnong councillors debated the details of the program for more than an hour during Tuesday night’s council meeting. The trial is expected to cost between $70,000 and $100,000.
The debate came to an end after chief executive Celia Haddock said councillors were close to breaching local governance laws.
Eventually, councillors voted on an amended motion by Cr Bernadette Thomas, which included hiring a suitable security service provider with a demonstrated extensive community human-centred and culturally appropriate approach.
Cr Thomas also advocated for consultation with the community, trader groups and interested traders in Footscray throughout the program, as well as regular meetings with health providers and community development organisations to ensure a health and wellbeing-first approach.
After several changes to that motion, it just passed with a 4-3 vote.
The program will follow on from a security guard trial by local businesses earlier this year.
At the end of that trial, more than 20 businesses advocated to council to fund the ongoing presence of security guards in the Footscray CBD.
Council documents show there has been a 26 per cent increase in criminal incidents in Footscray from 2024-25, after rising 29 per cent in the previous 12 months.
Cr Thomas said Footscray traders have told council they are feeling unsafe.
“There’s a lot going on in the Footscray CBD and some of it is not great and some of it is fantastic,” she said.
“We know over the past 18 months or so global and national stresses have moved into Footscray and are having an impact on people who visit, live in the CBD.
“Despite everything that council is and has been doing, the systems that support people living on the margins of our community are failing and/or overloaded and people are falling through the cracks.
“A security-first approach or security only approach won’t work.”
Cr Elena Pereyra said the situation in Footscray was not a failure of community but a failure of infrastructure of housing, mental house systems and cost of living relief.
“People in Footscray need to be listened to, not just watched and moved on,” she said.
The decision made by councillors has already upset some local community members.
More than 30 community, religious, social and welfare sector leaders met on Wednesday night under the banner of Footscray Community Response.
The group is demanding the council pause the trial pending a comprehensive consultation process and review of the evidence.
Footscray Community Response spokesperson and Borderlands Cooperative co-ordinator Jorge Jorquera said the council has not learnt from the recent tragic death of local resident Abdifatah Ahmed, who was shot by police in April.
“Social and health problems require social and health responses,” the former councillor said.
“Private security will only inflame tensions in Footscray.”
