The City of Melbourne's Community Safety Officers (CSOs) are experienced professionals who provide a visible and consistent safety presence across the city, seven days a week.
Established by Council following endorsement at the Future Melbourne Committee meeting on 17 June, 2025, the Community Safety team will begin operations in late 2025.
Our CSOs are here to help. They will:
- Address issues which impact safety - and the perception of safety - in our community.
- Respond to antisocial behaviour using de-escalation and negotiation techniques to keep people safe.
- Act under local laws and specific state laws where Council has enforcement authority.
- Issue directions or infringement notices, and where appropriate, intervene in matters affecting community safety until Victoria Police arrive.
Frequently asked questions
They will be able to issue fines for breaches of certain laws, and intervene in matters that impact public safety. Their priority is the safety of everyone they encounter, and they are trained and able to assist Victoria Police if required.
Council officers have authority under local laws to address a range of issues that deal with on-street behaviour. Officers also have delegated authority from the State Government to enforce certain laws under the Summary Offences Act and the Environmental Protection Act. More information can be found at acts and local laws.
CSOs do not have the authority of Victoria Police or Protective Service Officers.
The team will work in teams of at least two, and patrol places across the entire municipality. They will continue to focus on areas we know these issues occur.
Teams will be out 7 days a week, 11 hours a day.
Officers will be wearing a City of Melbourne uniform with a protective vest, which clearly identifies them as Community Safety Officers.
They are also equipped with body worn cameras, radios, torches and handcuffs.
Body worn cameras support the safety of our staff and the community and assist investigations into crimes and reports about our officer’s conduct. After 28 days, the footage will be deleted unless required for an investigation.
In accordance with the standard operating procedure, body worn cameras will only be activated if the recording will be relevant to an enforcement activity, to protect the health and safety of any person, to respond to potential complaints about a person's conduct, or when engaging in high-risk activities. Relevant footage is stored securely, and only authorised people have access to view it for authorised purposes.
Visit Freedom of Information to learn about how you can access Council records, including video footage.
Handcuffs will only be used if absolutely necessary, as a last resort.
Victoria Police are aware of and support our Community Safety team. City of Melbourne can, and does, enforce a variety of different laws which relate to on-street behaviour.
Melbourne is a safe city, but Council has heard from our community that more can be done to keep our streets safe. Our new CSO team are one way we’re helping to improve the safety of everyone that lives, works, visits and does business in our city.
There will likely be instances where our CSOs witness crimes that are matters for Victoria Police. These will be immediately reported for them to deal with and the team may intervene if appropriate in order to stop the continuation of an offence or hold an offender accountable. We will support their investigations if and when required.
No.
In February 2025, Council endorsed a trial program to have security guards accompany our Local Laws team to assist them in dealing with matters like begging and public consumption of alcohol. This was after dozens of incidents where our staff had been assaulted while performing their duties.
The establishment of the Community Safety team means our Local Laws Officers can focus efforts on enforcement of other local laws – such as illegal dumping of rubbish.
As part of the program, a Coordinator role has been established and is responsible for liaising with support services and Victoria Police to provide referral pathways for those in need.
The City of Melbourne is supporting our most vulnerable community members with a $1.5 million investment for frontline services in its 2025-26 budget. We also recently opened the doors to Make Room - a landmark project at 602 Little Bourke Street, providing 50 studio apartments and wrap-around support services for those who need it most.
We will work with the Victorian Government and cohealth to reduce drug harm by establishing a new Community Health Hub at 244 Flinders Street - offering help and medical care for anyone who walks through its doors, when it opens in 2026.
On a daily basis, we work alongside a range of outreach services including the Salvation Army, Launch Housing, The Living Room and cohealth (see list at homelessness support services). Our daily support team works with people in the city daily to find permanent pathways out of homelessness. See more information at homelessness protocols and local laws.
In 2017, Council adopted a protocol to address rough sleeping in the city. This protocol will continue to support those sleeping rough and work towards connecting those in need with the relevant service(s) - see more information at homelessness protocols and local laws.
If you observe a community safety issue, please make a report.
This report can be used for anti-social behaviour such as begging, public intoxication, and public consumption of alcohol. In an emergency, always call 000.
If you have concerns about the welfare of someone experiencing homelessness or if you see accumulated items in public space, please report it.
If you observe a person that is an immediate risk to themselves or others, or observe a person sleeping rough who appears to be under 18 years old, please call Victoria Police on triple zero (‘000’).
