The force will relocate officers to central Melbourne and several specialist teams will also be deployed,including the mounted branch,public order response team,highway patrol and transit police.
Local protest group A15 Action has vowed to “identify and blockade major choke points” in the economy by “focusing on points of production and circulation” as part of a global protest over Israel’s continued military assaults in Gaza.
“The global economy is complicit in genocide,” a statement on the A15 Action website says. “Join participating cities in blocking the arteries of capitalism and jamming the wheels of production ... there is a need to shift from symbolic actions to those that cause pain to the economy.”
Law enforcement and activist sources,speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss confidential details,said locations that could face blockades or shutdowns include the Port of Melbourne,train stations,major roads and the offices of companies with links to Israel.
A police spokeswoman confirmed the force was braced for a wave of protest activity but conceded it was unaware of the locations or nature of the blockades.
The spokeswoman said the force would activate its State Police Operations Centre,which would be the first time the emergency management facility has been used to monitor protesters since thousands attended Melbourne’s anti-lockdown rallies in 2021.
“To be clear,we respect people’s right to protest when it is lawful and peaceful. However,there is no place for anyone wanting to deliberately disrupt and cause harm in our community.