Vital for one person police stations to remain

Dear Editor,

In case the Andrews Government hasn’t caused enough damage in country and regional Victoria, the neglect appears about to get worse.

Victoria Police wants to take officers from one-person police stations in 98 small towns and roster them into regional centres and cities to fill police shortages.

The rostering change is due to more than 800 police vacancies across the state.

In Western Victoria, the rostering relocation could impact towns such as Gordon in the Moorabool Shire and 26 other towns.

This problem is caused by Police HQ – and Commissioner Shane Patton’s mandate that nearby 24-hour stations must be fully staffed for every shift.

While that’s all very good for those centres, it’s not so good for those outlying areas and small towns left exposed and without police protection.

The Police Association Secretary, Wayne Gatt, is publicly quoted as being very concerned about the job losses and the slow capacity to replace them.

Every Victorian has a right to feel safe.

It shouldn’t matter where you live. Safety should be available to everyone.

It is not as if these small regions and towns are without trouble of their own.

Take Gordon for example. In the year ending March 2023, that region experienced 1,566 criminal incidents, 2,185 recorded offences, and 532 family incidents.

Crime happens everywhere and Gordon would be represented in those statistics.

Country people have had enough of playing second-best, they pay taxes, they work hard and their rights to police protection and support are equal.

My message to the State Government is to leave single-officer police stations alone. They do an incredible and important job for their communities.

Bev McArthur MP
Western Victoria