PEEL police are taking a hard-line approach to people who commit crime or behave in an anti-social manner and in recent weeks people of Mandurah may have noticed a stronger police presence on the streets.

As part of their commitment to community safety local officers have been joined by the Western Australian Police Southern Rail Unit on patrols at Centro Mandurah over the past few Thursday evenings.

“Providing a police presence where there are large numbers of people is essential to ensuring the community feels safe and secure as they go about their daily business,” Inspector Peter Hatch from the Peel District Office said.

“The public and shop owners alike have provided us with very positive feedback about our presence there which is encouraging.”

Inspector Hatch praised Centro Mandurah’s commitment to safety and said CCTV – which is in operation at the shopping centre – provided one of the most “valuable investigative tools available to police”.

In another move cementing their dedication to the security of their patrons, Centro security staff are now wearing mini personal video recorders (PVRs).

The devices enable security staff to capture images of people who are being anti-social.

“Technology plays an important part in ensuring we provide a secure environment for our shoppers,” Centro centre manager Nigel Haines said.

“Rest assured, anybody who comes to the centre and misbehaves or commits an offence can expect to be captured on CCTV or the PVRs and we will supply this evidence to the police for them to take further action if needed.”