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Strike teams of protective service officers would patrol shopping centres without a reduction of PSOs at railway stations under a Coalition bid to one-up their election rivals on safety and retail crime.
Opposition Leader Brad Battin has promised an additional 200 PSOs as part of the plan for high-risk shopping areas if he wins the 2026 state election. The Coalition says the $70 million price tag has been fully budgeted.
PSOs and security guards on foot patrols in Chadstone Shopping Centre during the pandemic.Credit: Eddie Jim
Battin said Victoria Police would be consulted to ensure the extra resources were targeted at areas with the greatest need and the additional officers would be legislated with the power to use metal detectors to search people anywhere knife crime was considered a risk.
Battin’s commitment seeks to trump the Allan government and Victoria Police’s overhaul of PSOs, first revealed by The Age and announced on Saturday, which will reduce the number of train stations that are permanently patrolled to let officers travel along the public transport network and nearby shopping areas.
PSOs have had a nightly presence at railway stations since 2010, when the Baillieu government was elected on a promise to put two at every station each night between 6pm and the final train service.
The $70 million will mostly cover the cost of hiring and training 200 extra PSOs, but also includes $7 million to equip all police and protective service officers with metal detecting wands.
Opposition Leader Brad Battin with a metal-detecting wand.Credit: Alex Coppel
“Labor did nothing in over a decade to protect shoppers and retail workers,” Battin said.
“My government will put PSOs into shopping malls to protect shoppers and keep the PSOs at train stations to protect commuters.
“Our plan will deliver immediate protections, tougher penalties and faster justice to keep workers and shoppers safe.”
The opposition also claims data provided under freedom of information proves that the PSO network is already stretched.
That document, released to opposition victims support spokesman Nick McGowan, shows that from January 1, 2024 to June 28, 2025 there were 96 times when Heathmont railway station had no PSO coverage.
“Labor is using the retail crime crisis to cover up their PSO shortage,” McGowan said. “The reality is they don’t have the police or PSO numbers to keep commuters or retailers safe.”
The Allan government has been pressured for months by unions and business groups to deliver further measures addressing retail crime.
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Labor responded on Friday with initiatives including new protections for abuse of transport, retail and hospitality workers and a commitment to introduce protection orders, like a personal safety order but for an entire workplace, that would allow retailers to ban aggressive or abusive customers.
In its policy offering, the Coalition has also sought to give the sector everything it asked for while expanding the PSO network and their powers.
A Battin government would also create a new offence for assaulting, threatening or harassing customer-facing workers and ban abusive or violent people from shops or from contacting staff.
The Coalition also promised to set up a digital platform on which staff and employers could report abuse, upload evidence and apply directly through police for a workplace protection order.
Opposition police spokesman David Southwick said retail workers were being abused every day at work.
“We will crack down on retail crime because we are tougher on crime and smarter on justice than Labor,” he said.
“We cannot arrest our way out of this problem, so we will give young people pathways out of crime and provide programs that steer them towards education, work and opportunity.”
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