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Police outline patrols, encampment cleanups and downtown security guard after businesses report impacts
Summary
Melbourne police described directed patrols, incident action plans, two community‑resource officers and recent riverbank cleanups; council and business owners pressed for more enforcement and clarity on trespass options and downtown security hours.
Melbourne’s police chief told the council that addressing homelessness consumes significant department resources and that a mix of patrol strategies, community‑resource officers and partnerships are the department’s primary tools to respond to complaints.
Chief David Gillespie briefed the council on the department’s tactics. He said the department uses direct patrols (assigning officers to check problem locations when free), incident action plans (IAPs) deploying focused personnel for defined periods), and two community resource officers (north and south) plus one officer assigned full time to the CRA; he also named commanders and supervisors who oversee those units. Gillespie said earlier estimates put…
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