Three girls have been arrested by PSOs in relation to an alleged robbery in Cranbourne.
The alleged incident took place at a bus stop on Lyall Street on 16 October, when a female victim was approached by three females at about 3pm.
It’s believed the trio then stole the victim’s phone.
Less than an hour later, local Protective Service Officers (PSOs) were patrolling a nearby shopping centre when they observed three girls who matched the description of the youths they were searching for.
The teens were searched and the victim’s stolen phone was allegedly located by police.
A 14-year-old Pakenham girl was arrested alongside a 16-year-old Narre Warren North girl and a 19-year-old Pakenham woman.
All three were charged with robbery and were remanded into custody by detectives from the Casey Criminal Investigation Unit.
The trio were also fined for being in breach of the Victorian Chief Health Officer’s restrictions.
New laws recently passed by Parliament will see PSOs deployed to shopping centres, sporting precincts and other highly populated areas to help prevent crime and support community safety.
“We’ve seen the vital role PSOs play during the Coronavirus pandemic as part of Operation Shielding, and we’ll continue to give Victoria Police the powers, tools and resources they need to keep Victorians safe,” Police Minister Lisa Neville said.
“These new laws were an important part of our Community Safety Statement 2019/20 and mean the Chief Commissioner of Victoria Police can deploy PSOs more flexibly to where and when they’re needed most – while continuing to maintain their presence on the public transport network.”
