A new initiative set up in one Australian state aims to provide people buying and selling goods in person, through transactions arranged online, feel safer.
Online marketplaces where individuals list second hand items for sale are used by millions of Australians.
In recent years, users of the platforms, including Facebook Marketplace have not only had to but there have also been some incidents of potential .
Exchange zones, where buyers and sellers can exchange items purchased online, have been established outside 24-hour police stations across Victoria.
The 35 sites across regional and metropolitan areas are designed to provide people with a safer alternative than meeting unknown people at locations such as their homes, parks, or carparks.
The designated exchange zones are expected to be clearly marked, well lit and covered by CCTV.
Victoria Police, is behind the Safer Exchange Sites initiative that follows what it has described as a “successful trial” of such a limited number of sites since mid 2022.
Officers at the stations where the trials took place said they observed people exchanging items on a regular basis and during a six-month evaluation period, recorded a decrease in thefts and robberies in the area stemming from online sales.
Victoria Police noticed an increase in robberies, thefts and assaults linked to online trading, which peaked in 2020 before COVID lockdowns, with smartphones the most common high value item stolen in such incidents.
Exchange zones are in operation in places around the world including the United States as online marketplaces continue to gain in popularity.
Commander Tim Tully said while "the overall number of assaults, thefts and robberies connected to online exchanges is low, we don’t want to see any occur."
"With the popularity of buying and selling items via online marketplaces continuing to grow, this initiative is all about police getting on the front foot to ensure an emerging crime theme doesn’t become an embedded trend.
"While these sites are a safer alternative than meeting someone at your home or in a dimly lit area with no CCTV, we still encourage people to consider the risks of meeting a person they’ve never met before.
"Police suggest meeting during daylight hours if possible and bringing someone with you to the exchange."
