Community safety
We want you to reach your home or other destination safely whether by car, bicycle, public transport or walking.
We maintain a CCTV network and public lighting, and also regularly maintain local roads and shared paths to reduce any potential risks.
We work in partnership with Victoria Police on community safety. View our strategy, A Shared Approach to Safety in the City of Maribyrnong 2015-2017(PDF, 1MB).
We also work with Victoria Police on shared community safety messages. These are promoted to the community via our Facebook page.
Who to contact
Any urgent criminal activity should be reported to Victoria Police via 000.
Non-urgent crimes and events can be reported to Victoria Police via the Police Assistance Line on 131 444 or via online reporting.
For non-urgent matters for which Council is responsible you can lodge a request to Council online.
Closed-circuit television (CCTV) in the City of Maribyrnong
Community safety is a high priority for Maribyrnong City Council. Council has a Shared Approach to Safety in the City of Maribyrnong partnership with Victoria Police. Council’s approach to safety is underpinned by a strong commitment to crime prevention through environmental design, including the application of CCTV surveillance systems, where appropriate.
The primary security use of CCTV is to discourage and/or detect unlawful behaviour. The City of Maribyrnong operates two separate systems:
- Public CCTV system: 32 cameras managed in partnership with Victoria Police. These cameras provide 24-hour surveillance of large parts of the Footscray Central Activity District.
- Council asset management system: A number of cameras that are used as an asset protection measure, with the presence of cameras helping to prevent damage to property and deter anti-social behavior and inappropriate activity in settings such as libraries and our leisure centres.
Council recognises that CCTV surveillance is only one of a range of strategies that can be used to reduce crime. The preferred approach is to consider options such as creating clear site lines, minimising concealed areas, installing appropriate lighting, and enhancing natural surveillance, increasing access control, and improving signage, ahead of the installation of CCTV.
CCTV in Public Places Policy 2017-2021
The City of Maribyrnong CCTV in Public Places Policy 2017-2021 (the Policy) provides strategic direction and operational uniformity for the regulation and management of CCTV systems in public places. The Policy applies to all Council owned CCTV systems installed in public places that have the purpose of surveillance.
The Policy outlines how and when Council will employ visual surveillance and the procedures that will ensure personal privacy is maintained. More specifically it aims to:
- Guide Council’s decisions about the introduction, revision (including expansion or reduction) and significant maintenance to CCTV cameras in public places.
- Ensure that Council CCTV systems are compliant with relevant legislation and other statutory requirements.
As outlined in the Policy decisions regarding changes to the public CCTV system are subject to a number of criteria, including:
- Evidence of need (a comprehensive appraisal of the severity, frequency and location of the incidence being targeted)
- Consideration of alternative approaches (eg environmental design considerations)
- Risk management
- Cost-benefit and availability of funding (including external funding)
Privacy and data security CCTV requests are managed by Council’s CCTV Project Control Group, consisting of senior managers from across Council and Victoria Police representatives.