Facts Vs Feelings On Private Security Patrols

The much-maligned and headline-generating Truganina private security patrol trial has culminated in a battle between facts and feelings.

Only servicing Truganina, the controversial $372,000 venture was pushed through as part of council’s 2025–26 annual budget, at the cost of all Wyndham ratepayers and despite fiery opposition in the chamber. Councillors gave their final verdict at the 28 July council meeting.

Cr Susan McIntyre—who had slammed the idea from the get-go—said the exercise was a waste of all ratepayers’ cash.

“Spending $372,000 on this six-month trial was an unacceptable use of ratepayers’ money. We repeatedly hear in this chamber, difficult decisions must be made and every dollar counts,” Cr McIntyre said.

“Well, $372,000 is a lot of dollars and every one of them belonged to our community. This was an election commitment supported by a majority of councils, but election commitments must withstand scrutiny and deliver value for all Wyndham residents.

“When I heard we listened to the feedback, the budget didn’t show we listened to the feedback.

If anything, it showed we ignored it. 42% of the community opposed the security patrols, while only 23% of it supported it and only if significant changes were made.”

(Councillors Robert Szatkowski, Peter Maynard and Susan McIntyre opposed the trial).

No Data Can Categorically Say Crime Was Stopped 

“This report says it cannot identify a single crime or incident prevented by the patrol, a single crime or incident prevented by the patrol.”

She also claimed the sample size of surveyed residents other councillors were using to spruik the trial’s success might be a little overstated.

“Council also didn’t need to spend $372,000 testing a service already operating privately in many of our areas like Sanctuary Lakes, Life, Manor Estate, and elsewhere. Those experiences could have been examined first.

“Only 104 Truganina residents completed the post-trial survey, with a margin of error of plus or minus 10%. Only 29 knew the trial existed and seven had seen a vehicle. Barely any residents knew it was operating.”

The sentiment was echoed by Cr Peter Maynard, who pointed out the investment was supposed to get 12 months, not six.

“When this was first touted to run, it was originally touted for 12 months at a cost of $372,000,” Cr Maynard said.

“But once it was passed and then officers did their due diligence and scoped the item, it was found that due to the sheer size of the area to be covered, it was going to take two patrol cars to service the area due to this not being initially costed correctly.”

Preet Singh Defends Election Promise, Slams Critics 

Cr Preet Singh went into bat for his election commitment and unpopular brainchild.

“This trial was never about comparing ourselves to Victoria Police or debating crime statistics,” Cr Singh said.

“It was about improving community confidence and providing residents with reassurance that concerns were being taken seriously.

“During the trial, 973 incidents were reported. Now, some may argue that not every incident was serious, but preventing a crime is just as important as responding after one occurs.”

Council’s own report said that a direct correlation between year-to-date crime data and the Truganina Security Patrol Trial cannot be reliably drawn.

Cr Singh also fired back at critics, claiming opponents were manufacturing outrage.

“There has also been commentary from some corners of social media seeking to undermine this initiative.

“Some outlets seem to be more interested in generating clicks, comments and outrage rather than having an honest discussion about community safety.

“Regardless of the noise, this council must focus on facts, not narratives, and the facts are simple.”

Company That Delivered Trial Collapsed In National Scandal

Cr Maria King also defended the notion of perceived safety being an important marker of success and took a swipe at the trial’s opponents.

“I’m so proud of my colleagues around this room who agreed and adopted this and took that risk and took the hits from the echo chamber on social media.”

During the six-month trial, security officers recorded 973 incidents. Only 372, or 38 per cent, were categorised as potentially related to crime or community safety.

Another 373 reports involved neighbourhood reassurance activities, such as checking unsecured garage doors, while 228 related to issues including illegal parking, dumped rubbish, abandoned vehicles and other amenity matters.

Just 33 incidents, around three per cent of all reports, were considered potentially serious, with patrol officers acting as first responders in 10 cases before emergency services arrived.

The company responsible for delivering the trial, MA Services Group, also collapsed in a nationwide scandal.