The Carroll Labor Government is giving Victoria Police the resources it needs to fight crime, make local shopping strips safer and keep the community safe.

Premier Ben Carroll today announced Labor will recruit an additional 150 more Protective Services Officers.

That brings the total number of new PSOs funded by Labor in the last year to 200.

Labor is putting police and PSOs where the problems are, protecting Victorians where they shop, work and spend time.

As part of this boost, the Government will change the regulations.

It means PSOs will now be able to patrol in more places where there is crime and anti-social behaviour – such as local shopping strips.

We’ll also back Victoria Police to extend and expand Operation Pulse till the end of next year, allowing police and PSOs to patrol more major shopping centres.

Operation Pulse has been welcomed by both shoppers and retailers, with more than 1,700 people arrested and more than 3,500 charges laid since it started.

This builds on the work Labor has done to give police more flexibility to respond to crime based on their intelligence – including the deployment of PSOs on trains and expanded start times for patrols.

Labor will always give police the powers, funding and support to fight crime and keep Victorians safe.