Fitzroy, Collingwood, Southbank and North Melbourne Police Stations to Permanently Close to Public
Four inner-Melbourne police stations will permanently close their front counters to the public from next month —prompting concerns about access to face-to-face police services and community safety.
From 4 October 2026 —the public counters at Fitzroy, Collingwood, Southbank and North Melbourne police stations will no longer operate.
Importantly —the police stations themselves are not shutting down entirely. Victoria Police says officers will continue working from all four locations as operational bases, with police patrols and emergency response services continuing around the clock.
The major change is that members of the public will no longer be able to walk into these four stations to speak with an officer at the front counter.
Four inner-city stations affected
The decision covers communities across several busy inner-Melbourne areas.
• Fitzroy Police Station, on Condell Street —currently opens its public counter from 7.30am to 2.30pm on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.
• Collingwood Police Station, located in Eddy Court, Abbotsford —currently provides counter services from 7.30am to 2.30pm on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
• Southbank Police Station on Moray Street —the public counter currently operates from 8.30am to 3.30pm on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.
• Meanwhile, North Melbourne Police Station, officially listed by Victoria Police as Melbourne North Police Station —currently has the most extensive counter hours of the four, opening from 7.30am to 2.30pm Monday to Friday.
All four public counters are scheduled to permanently close from October 4.
Police say officers will be moved to frontline duties
Victoria Police says the changes are designed to put more officers into the community rather than requiring them to staff reception counters.
Assistant Commissioner Jo Stafford said the move would allow more police to conduct patrols, prevent crime and respond to incidents where officers are most needed.
Although their public counters will close, Fitzroy, Collingwood, Southbank and North Melbourne police stations will continue operating as police bases, with officers working and deploying from the locations around the clock.
Residents requiring a 24-hour public police counter will instead be able to attend nearby stations —including Richmond, Melbourne East and Melbourne West.
For non-urgent matters, Victoria Police also encourages people to use its online reporting services or contact the Police Assistance Line on 131 444.
Community backlash over Fitzroy and Collingwood
The strongest public reaction so far has centred on Fitzroy and Collingwood, where the closures will have a significant impact on face-to-face police access in the City of Yarra.
Yarra Mayor Stephen Jolly described the decision as a “catastrophe” for a community already concerned about safety and called on the Police Minister and Victoria Police to reverse it.
Jolly said the decision was particularly concerning at a time when local residents and businesses were worried about serious crime, including firebombings and organised criminal activity.
Yarra Council has contacted Victoria Police and Police Minister Paul Edbrooke seeking urgent intervention.
The decision also means Richmond Police Station will become the only police station in the City of Yarra providing a 24-hour public counter.
Opposition attacks permanent closures
Opposition Leader and Shadow Minister for Police and Corrections Brad Battin has also criticised the changes, particularly the permanent closure of the Fitzroy, Collingwood, North Melbourne and Southbank counters.
Battin argued that reductions originally presented as temporary were now becoming permanent. He pointed to rising crime figures in the City of Yarra and said communities should have accessible local police stations where residents can seek assistance in person.
“In the City of Yarra, crimes against the person have increased 25.8 per cent over the past two years, while theft has surged more than 22 per cent. In the City of Melbourne – which has the highest level of crime of any LGA in the state -more than 18 per cent over the same period”, Battin said.
The Opposition has pledged that a Liberal-Nationals government would reopen closed police stations and recruit an additional 3,000 police officers.
The state government, however, says it is recruiting 400 police reservists to help staff police station counters elsewhere, allowing more frontline officers to return to patrol and crime-response duties.
Concerns extend beyond Yarra
While much of the political and community reaction has focused on Fitzroy and Collingwood, the changes also affect two other important inner-city locations — Southbank and North Melbourne.
Southbank is a densely populated residential, entertainment and tourism precinct immediately south of Melbourne’s CBD, while North Melbourne serves another growing inner-city community.
The loss of public counters at all four locations therefore raises a broader question about how residents who prefer, or need, face-to-face assistance will access police services.
Victoria Police maintains that closing a reception counter should not be confused with closing a police station. Officers will remain based at Fitzroy, Collingwood, Southbank and North Melbourne, and emergency police response will continue 24 hours a day.
Nevertheless, from October 4, residents will see a significant change: four familiar inner-Melbourne police stations will remain active behind the scenes, but their doors will no longer be open to members of the public seeking assistance at the counter. (NQ)
