MORE police could soon patrol Frankston on bicycles as part of a plan revealed by Frankston councillors last week.
Newly-elected Frankston councillor Nathan Butler raised the idea at last week’s council meeting. He proposes that council talk to Victoria Police and offer to buy bicycles for them so they can patrol the Frankston CBD and foreshore areas.
“In the recent campaigning to get elected to this council I did speak to a lot of people in the CBD area that did highlight safety in the CBD, and a little bit on the foreshore, as a top concern for them,” Butler said last week. “The main locations of concern were Young Street, Shannon Mall, the train station going through to the TAFE, the Bayside Shopping Centre car park, and the foreshore. What’s similar about all these locations is they are very difficult to patrol in a police vehicle. “It was through an anecdotal conversation I had with a local police officer at Frankston Police Station who told me they have bicycle-trained police officers but they don’t actually have any bikes.”
Butler said the move is an “exploratory conversation – it’s up to us to go to our stakeholders and the community and say ‘what can we do to help’.
“Ultimately the success of this plan will depend on the appetite of the police to join us as well, and I think if they do come to the party and have good reason to say ‘let’s exercise some police patrols on bicycles in the CBD’ because they see the value in it, I think it will be a massive win for safety.”
Cherie Wanat was the lone councillor to oppose the proposal – she cited concerns about the up-front cost.
Frankston City Council CEO Phil Cantillon is expected to initiate discussions with Victoria Police this month.
First published in the Frankston Times – 10 December 2024
New council pushes for more police
