Terrified bar and nightclub owners will be handed $10 million in taxpayer cash to fortify their venues under a government effort to tackle the escalating ‘bar wars’.
Business owners will be given access to the cash pool to upgrade their CCTV systems, security doors, alarms and fire suppression tools to prevent further firebombings.
Police Minister Anthony Carbines on Tuesday released details of the new $10m Hospitality Security Fund, which will be shared among eligible venues in coming weeks.
Those venues will be handed the cash to bolster their security systems as Melbourne grapples with the wave of attacks, which has seen more than 20 venues targeted by shooters and arsonists.
They can also choose whether to feed that security camera footage live to Victoria Police’s state command centre, which will allow officers to monitor potential arson attacks in real time.
Mr Carbines said the $10m investment was additional government spending that was not included in the budget.
He said it was necessary to give business owners an extra layer of security.
“They need help and assistance, and this is a concrete measure that boosts up some of the work they’re already doing themselves,” he said.
“We’ll do as much as we can with that fund.”
Other venues have taken it upon themselves to protect their venues in recent days.
The Emerson in South Yarra made the bizarre decision to plant two huge shipping containers in front of their venue to protect patrons from bullets or fire.
A rental truck was also left parked outside another venue over the weekend.
“They’re f—ing terrified,” one source told the Herald Sun.
Mr Carbines also pledged an additional $5m to upgrade the force’s command centre, which will be staffed by officers and detectives through the night.
Mr Carbines said Chief Commissioner Mike Bush “made it very clear” the force needed that funding to allow police to respond more rapidly.
CCTV linked between venues and police will be fed back live to the command centre — where officers and detectives can assess unfolding situations in real time through the night.
Tuesday’s announcements were the result of the force’s top brass asking the state government for extra support to combat the wave of attacks, which are perplexing senior police.
Victoria Police Acting Deputy Commissioner Russell Barrett said monitoring the venues 24/7 allowed officers to respond instantly.
“It enables us to get ahead of the game,” he said.
“It’s an incredible announcement for us.”
He said officers in the command centre would use a range of policing methods which would be assisted by the live CCTV feeds.
“With other sources of intelligence that come in, we can hone our focus on particular locations, that’s how we operate,” he added.
“It’s a range of technology that we use.”