{"id":70720,"date":"2026-08-13T01:27:08","date_gmt":"2026-08-13T01:27:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/70720\/"},"modified":"2026-08-13T01:27:08","modified_gmt":"2026-08-13T01:27:08","slug":"deserve-to-feel-safe-victoria-premier-ben-carroll-expands-police-powers-in-crime-crackdown","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/70720\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Deserve to feel safe\u2019: Victoria Premier Ben Carroll expands police powers in crime crackdown"},"content":{"rendered":"

Victoria Police are being given stronger powers across Melbourne as new Premier Ben Carroll pledges a further crackdown on crime across the city. <\/p>\n

As part of the initiative, 150 more public service officers will be rolled out across places with higher anti-social behaviour such as shopping strips and centres. <\/p>\n

\u201cThe additional PSOs will support our existing presence on the public transport network, as well as assisting in hospital guard and crime scene duties to help free up police,\u201d a police statement read. <\/p>\n

Mr Carroll said residents would \u201csee more police where they are needed \u2013 keeping crime down and the community safe\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cVictorians deserve to feel safe where they shop, where they work and where they live,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n

Speaking to media on Thursday, chief commissioner Mike Bush said officers were armed with \u201devery piece of equipment\u201d needed to protect the community, including firearms, OC sprays and tasers. <\/p>\n

\u201cThe PSO\u2019s training takes 11 weeks; we can get them and deploy them quicker,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

The announcement comes after the high-profile death of beloved grocer Van Viet Truong, who was allegedly attacked as he attempted to stop four shoplifters.<\/p>\n

Van Viet Truong, 60, died after being bashed and beaten while trying to stop a group of youths aged 12, 13, 14 and 15, who allegedly fled a store with stolen goods.<\/p>\n

Three boys \u2013 aged 12, 13 and 15 \u2013 and two 14-year-old girls were each charged with affray, violent disorder, intentionally cause serious injury and intentionally cause injury.<\/p>\n

The 15-year-old boy later had his charges upgraded to manslaughter and the 13-year-old had his charges dropped.<\/p>\n

His death sparked outcry from the community and business owners, who urged for better protections.<\/p>\n

Police Minister Paul Edbrooke said his first act as minister was to visit the family and friends of Mr Truong, and other business owners and traders in the area. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe listened, we heard what that community was saying,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n

As part of the state\u2019s new pledge, Victoria Police will extend Operation Pulse \u2013 targeting major shopping centres and retail districts across the entire state.<\/p>\n

The police operation currently targets several high-traffic shopping areas in Victoria, including Pacific Werribee, Bayside Frankston, Highpoint, Fountain Gate, Northland, Watergardens, Southland, Eastland and key CBD retail locations in Geelong.<\/p>\n

Police said the operation will be expanded even further, with more locations to be confirmed by October. <\/p>\n

So far, 1776 arrests have been made, with 3562 charges laid for shoplifting and 288 charges laid for drug offences. <\/p>\n

\u201cThe expansion of Operation Pulse means we can deploy our resources to more areas where and when they are needed,\u201d Mr Bush said. <\/p>\n

\u201cThe additional PSOs will play a crucial role in ensuring our community is safe and feels safe<\/p>\n

\u201cWhether it\u2019s on our transport network, in shopping centres or local retail precincts, Victoria Police and PSOs will be highly visible, proactive and focused on holding offenders to account.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mr Bush said the operation had already made \u201ca huge impact\u201d on the community.<\/p>\n

\u201cRetailers and shoppers are regularly telling us they are feeling safer because of our presence,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n

\u201cThis approach not only helps us detect crime but stop it happening in the first place.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read related topics:Melbourne<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Victoria Police are being given stronger powers across Melbourne as new Premier Ben Carroll pledges a further crackdown…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":70721,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[97019,97018,96991,96987,37005,44367,74929,79348,97001,96982,96979,96985,50585,97026,96990,97012,36507,97005,38096,58324,36956,53775,65202,1099,22,21,96996,96973,97002,45107,312,10679,2717,96975,12578,97011,36520,96992,4279,97007,96986,97003,97000,96995,82716,97004,51217,97015,96871,96980,96974,97022,6628,150,260,20338,97006,96977,82753,45114,57807,82722,97021,379,97008,96981,37962,72584,25531,96978,96997,40707,97025,97027,96989,82465,97013,97020,3121,37316,1047,11544,12421,96993,41928,97017,28115,6327,96984,97010,6014,96971,97024,5261,82554,96999,96972,36643,36676,37538,96988,97023,46483,87296,51225,97014,96983,38808,97028,97016,37964,96998,90760,7444,96879,68,1373,96976,96994,45275,71916,97009,19066],"class_list":["post-70720","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-australia","tag-s-new-pledge","tag-s-sweeping-changes","tag-s-training","tag-11-weeks","tag-37005","tag-44367","tag-13-and-15","tag-14-and-15","tag-150-more-public-service-officers","tag-1776-arrests","tag-288-charges","tag-3562-charges","tag-50585","tag-a-beloved-shopkeeper","tag-a-crucial-role","tag-a-further-crackdown","tag-a-group","tag-a-huge-impact","tag-a-police-statement","tag-a-store","tag-a-week","tag-account","tag-affray","tag-announcement","tag-au","tag-austrlia","tag-bayside-frankston","tag-beloved-grocer-van-viet-truong","tag-better-protections-police-minister-paul-edbrooke","tag-chief-commissioner-mike-bush","tag-crime","tag-crime-crackdown","tag-death","tag-dropped-his-death","tag-drug-offences","tag-eastland-and","tag-equipment","tag-every-piece","tag-firearms","tag-fountain-gate","tag-four-shoplifters-van-viet-truong","tag-geelong-police","tag-higher-anti-social-behaviour","tag-highpoint","tag-his-charges","tag-his-first-act","tag-holding","tag-hospital-guard-and-crime-scene-duties","tag-injury-the-15-year-old-boy","tag-key-cbd-retail-locations","tag-local-retail-precincts","tag-major-shopping-centres-and-retail-districts","tag-manslaughter","tag-media","tag-melbourne","tag-minister","tag-more-areas","tag-more-locations","tag-more-police","tag-mr-bush","tag-mr-carroll","tag-mr-truong","tag-new-premier-ben-carroll-pledges","tag-newswire-news","tag-northland","tag-oc-sprays","tag-october","tag-offenders","tag-officers","tag-operation-pulse","tag-other-business-owners-and-traders","tag-our-community","tag-our-existing-presence","tag-our-presence","tag-our-resources","tag-our-transport-network","tag-outcry","tag-pacific-werribee","tag-part","tag-places","tag-police","tag-police-powers","tag-residents","tag-retailers-and-shoppers","tag-serious-injury","tag-several-high-traffic-shopping-areas","tag-shoplifting","tag-shopping-centres","tag-shopping-strips-and-centres","tag-southland","tag-state","tag-stolen-goods-three-boys","tag-stronger-powers","tag-tasers","tag-that-community","tag-the-13-year-old","tag-the-additional-psos","tag-the-area","tag-the-city","tag-the-community","tag-the-community-and-business-owners","tag-the-entire-state-the-police-operation","tag-the-expansion","tag-the-family-and-friends","tag-the-first-place","tag-the-high-profile-death","tag-the-initiative","tag-the-operation","tag-the-pso","tag-the-public-transport-network","tag-the-state","tag-the-sweeping-changes","tag-this-approach","tag-thursday","tag-two-14-year-old-girls","tag-victoria","tag-victoria-police","tag-victoria-police-and-psos","tag-victoria-premier-ben-carroll","tag-victorians","tag-violent-disorder","tag-watergardens","tag-youths"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/70720","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=70720"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/70720\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/70721"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=70720"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=70720"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=70720"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}