Lord Mayor proposes safe haven for women in secure city zones Lord Mayor Robert Doyle is proposing a plan to make areas of the city well-lit, with security camera surveillance, so women can take refuge at night. Source: Leader SPECIAL safety zones to protect women would be created in the inner city under a plan to go before the Melbourne City Council. Women would be able to seek refuge in well-lit areas with security camera surveillance. Lord Mayor Robert Doyle said the proposal was part of the council's strategy of preventing violence against women and fitted with the Herald Sun's Take a Stand campaign. "We're talking about around the city, making sure there are places that are well-lit with CCTV where people feel safe at night," he said. We can't have police there full-time, but we'd make sure that patrols would circle through there pretty regularly. Cr Doyle said that men would not be banned from the zones, but the areas would be subject to real-time surveillance by the police and council officers via cameras. The idea will be discussed by council's Future Melbourne committee later this month and is supported by key groups such as the Salvation Army. The Salvos' Major Brendan Nottle said his teams were very concerned about increasing numbers of young women walking alone in the early hours of the morning at weekends. Major Nottle said that hot spots included parts of King, Elizabeth, Swanston, Russell and Lonsdale streets. Cr Doyle said the security around safety zones would be similar to that provided for mega taxi ranks at weekends. The Take a Stand campaign was launched by Cr Doyle, Premier Denis Napthine, Chief Commissioner Ken Lay and AFL chief Andrew Demetriou.