Residents buying or selling online will soon be able to use special zones where they can exchange items safely at 35 police stations across Victoria from this week, including one in Mooroolbark Police Station.
A safer alternative to meeting strangers at your home or a park, safer exchange sites are based outside 24-hour police stations , in well-lit areas and monitored by CCTV.
Commander Tim Tully said that while the overall number of assaults, thefts and robberies connected to online exchanges is low, police don’t want to see any occur.
“With the popularity of buying and selling items via online marketplaces continuing to grow, this initiative is all about police getting on the front foot to ensure an emerging crime theme doesn’t become an embedded trend,” he said.
“While these sites are a safer alternative than meeting someone at your home or in a dimly lit area with no CCTV, we still encourage people to consider the risks of meeting a person they’ve never met before.”
“Police suggest meeting during daylight hours if possible and bringing someone with you to the exchange.”
The roll-out of these sites follows successful trials across Melbourne’s north-east in 2022. During the trial’s six-month evaluation period, thefts and robberies in the area from online sales decreased.
The exchange sites provide people transacting items listed on online marketplaces with a safer alternative than meeting unknown people at locations such as their homes, parks, or car parks.
Each safer exchange site has clear signage outside the 24-hour police station, as well as CCTV coverage and lighting.
