Wyndham has 108 fewer frontline police officers than the City of Greater Geelong, despite the cities having similar populations.
With law and order likely to be among the key issues for voters at next month’s state election, figures from the Police Association reveal Wyndham has 88 frontline officers, compared with Geelong’s 196 – or 45 per 100,000 people, which is almost half Geelong’s rate of 86 per 100,000 people.
This is despite Geelong’s population sitting at about 225,000 – 25,000 above Wyndham’s estimated 200,000 residents.
As previously reported by Star Weekly, Wyndham has the lowest police-to-population ratio in Victoria. The latest figures add fuel to community concerns over the lack of police numbers.
A community rally last month heard Wyndham was experiencing a policing “crisis” and desperately required more officers as well as a redeveloped Werribee station and new stations at Point Cook and Wyndham Vale.
Police Association secretary Ron Iddles told the rally Wyndham’s crime rate went up 7.5 per cent in 2013-14 because there were not enough police on the streets.
“The current policing model is to have an average of 102 police per 100,000 people. Wyndham has 45 per 100,000 people – it’s a disgrace,” he said.
Wyndham’s Police Association delegate, Brendan O’Mahoney, said that, on average, there were fewer front-line police on duty at Werribee now than in the late 1970s and early ’80s.
Detective Senior Constable O’Mahoney said the city’s police officers were regularly working double shifts and coming in while on leave to cover for sick or burnt-out colleagues.
“It isn’t fair on them or the people of Wyndham,” he told the rally.
