Plan to station cops at Victorian shops

Popular Melbourne shopping centre, Chadstone, is home to an array of high-end boutiques and could be in for an arresting new shopfront under a state opposition election pledge.

The Liberal National coalition has announced $7.2 million across four years to station at least two officers at 12 of Melbourne and Geelong's largest shopping centres, including Chadstone.

"Shopping centres are not just places to go and shop, they are now hubs of major activity - gyms, libraries, restaurants, bars, entertainment precincts," opposition police spokesman Edward O'Donohue told reporters on Thursday.

"We're going to take the police to where the community is and where the people are."

The opposition has consulted the owners of the shopping centres, which includes groups such as Scentre Group, Vicinity Centres, The GPT Group and QIC, on the plan and say all are on board with it.

The announcement comes weeks after the opposition revealed a plan to put police in troublesome public schools.

The plan would place a full-time officer permanently at 10 Victorian schools in "at risk" areas on a two-year trial basis.

Premier Daniel Andrews said the government was already considering putting protective service officers in places like shopping centres and other areas of mass gathering.