St Kilda's sand and street beat

Editorial and photography: Jesse Wray-McCann

As Senior Sergeant Stuart Browne patrols down St Kilda’s bustling Acland Street on a hot Saturday afternoon, he spots a local who had some unsavoury words for him just a few days prior.

Sen Sgt Browne approaches the man with a good-humoured smile on his face.

“Ben*, last time I saw you, you pretty much bit my head off,” Sen Sgt Browne says.

“What was all that about?”

The pair then chats about how Ben has been travelling lately and Sen Sgt Browne reminds Ben how anti-social behaviour can affect St Kilda’s residents, traders and visitors.

As he continues his foot patrol, Sen Sgt Browne explains to Police Life that Ben spends a lot of time hanging out on Acland Street.

“Most of the time, he’s good to deal with, but when he’s been drinking, he can become a handful,” he says.

“And that’s what happened the other night when he was having a go at me.

“So when I saw him just now, I wanted to hear how he’s been going and just remind him that we are always around.”

The interaction and relationship between Ben and Sen Sgt Browne may have been a small thing, but it’s at the heart of what it’s like to do policing in St Kilda.

For all the equipment on their belts and technology at their disposal, the number one tool police use in St Kilda is people skills.

In heading up the team of nearly 90 at St Kilda Police Station, Sen Sgt Browne and Sen Sgt Anthony Town have been impressing upon their officers the need to understand the issues and priorities that drive everyone they come across.

With its iconic beaches, foreshore attractions, nightlife, multi-million-dollar mansions, backpacker hostels, restaurants and more, St Kilda is a melting pot of all types.

“St Kilda is an eclectic place and we need to have the skills to understand and engage with all kinds of people, including those with significant and complex mental health needs and dependencies,” Sen Sgt Town said.

While they’re always ready to take firm action with troublemakers, Sen Sgt Browne said the best results often come when police have the big picture in mind and seek to engage rather than enforce.

“We’ve got a lot of people with complex issues, so you’ve got to present yourself as someone they’re going to want to engage with in the first instance,” Sen Sgt Browne said.

“A big part of working with them is to get them to trust you so that you can refer them to services.

“If you’re on the wrong path from the start, you might miss an opportunity to link people with services that could ultimately help them into the future.”

Sen Sgt Browne said such colourful characters weren’t unwelcome in St Kilda.

“That’s what brings people to St Kilda – that diversity, the left-of-centre style of life,” he said.

“The traders tell us it’s also what brings them to the area and what makes St Kilda so unique.

“But they are aware, as we are, there’s a very fine tipping point between that and the public order issues that can come about because of some of those complex social circumstances.

“Our officers are always trying to help everyone find that balance.”

Constantly liaising with traders along the area’s vibrant Acland, Fitzroy and Carlisle streets – along with residents’ groups, Port Phillip Council and the various stakeholders from the many events on St Kilda’s famous foreshore and parks – is key for St Kilda police.

Sen Sgt Town has come from many years of working as a detective and is now enjoying a different approach to the job.

“It was refreshing for me to be working from a different perspective, becoming more aligned to the community and building harm prevention strategies rather than the strong focus on enforcement,” he said.

“At times, I found we were focusing on an issue the community was not necessarily concerned about, that there was a more evidence-based approach available or a better equipped organisation to take the lead.”

This is why Sen Sgt Town is excited about Victoria Police’s new Neighbourhood Policing initiative.

Neighbourhood Policing, rolled out across the state in March, aims to provide more opportunities for people to share their safety priorities and concerns.

The initiative involves Local Safety Committees – made up of police and community safety partner organisations – acting as a forum for people to discuss local safety concerns.

The committees will develop a safety plan and strategies for the area to address local safety concerns through both policing and nonpolicing activity.

“This is the kind of collaborative work we have had going in St Kilda for a while, and I’m looking forward to the structure Neighbourhood Policing will bring to it,” Sen Sgt Town said.

“We know there are complexities to issues that police, at times, don’t need to be involved in.

“There are plenty of other organisations locally who are experts in the areas of mental health and at-risk youth.

“Sometimes we need to have the maturity to know when to take a step back and hand over to, or introduce, those partner organisations, with us supporting when appropriate.”

To help this happen, Sen Sgt Town has been working with the Inner East Local Learning and Employment Network – which specialises in facilitating support for vulnerable and at-risk young people – on a plan to have one of the network’s specialist workers based at St Kilda Police Station each week.

The worker would be introduced to people brought into custody or victims at the station to link them in with relevant support services.

The station is also working hard to reinvigorate relationships with St Kilda Police and Citizen’s Youth Club – a not-for-profit organisation mentoring young people of all ages and backgrounds.

“We want everyone who comes to St Kilda to know that if they commit crime, they will be held to account, but if they need help to deal with the drivers of the crime, we’re definitely able to help them on that path as well,” Sen Sgt Town said.

“Our goal is that everyone is safe, feels safe, and enjoys all the area has to offer. This includes our own members.”

*Ben is not the man’s real name