From next month, local communities will begin to see the 300 new frontline police officers on their streets – including 27 officers in the Wyndham Police Service Area.

Member for Werribee Tim Pallas & Member for Altona Jill Hennessy today welcomed the announcement by Premier Daniel Andrews, Minister for Police Lisa Neville and Chief Commissioner Graham Ashton that the western suburbs area will be receiving an allocation of Victoria’s 300 new frontline police funded in the 2016-17 Victorian Budget.

These are the first of the 3,135 police the Andrews Labor Government is delivering over five years to make communities safer and drive down crime. More than 100 new police will be deployed to the Wyndham, Maribyrnong, Melton and Brimbank areas in the western suburbs.

These additional 300 police officers builds on the 106 new police already allocated to deal with gang related crime and public order issues, as well as increasing special response and monitoring capability. The boost of new officers will give a stronger and more visible police presence on the street and deliver more resources to prevent crime before it happens.

Since coming into government, we have created more than 700 full time police positions across the force. The addition of frontline police officers was according to a new Staff Allocation Model with Victoria Police, identifying the areas that need the most support – taking the politics out of the distribution of police.

Another 2,729 new police will be recruited and trained over the next four years as part of the government’s Community Safety Statement, released in December 2016.

Our historic investment to drive down crime across Victoria includes new vehicles for the Public Order Response Team, new booze buses, and tough new laws to crack down on drug dealers, drive by shootings, car jackings and home invasions.

Quotes attributable to Member for Werribee Tim Pallas:

“The Andrews Labor Government is committed to supporting our community’s police with the resources and powers they need to continue the good work they do.”

“These additional police allocated to the western suburbs will have a real impact, as they work to prevent, detect and disrupt crime.”

Quotes attributable to Member for Altona Jill Hennessy:

“The new police will be warmly welcomed by the western suburbs and I want to thank all of our police who work hard every day to keep us safe.”