Shifts at Wyndham police stations are going unstaffed, and resources are being ripped out to provide security at courts and events across the state, Star Weekly has been told.
A police source in Wyndham said the local police service area roster for this week had 12 vacancies, with no officers having registered their interest in covering the shifts.
In addition, an average of 20 shifts a fortnight are reportedly being lost to provide security at courts in the region, and there are no ‘251 drivers’ except on night shifts in Wyndham. (A 251 driver is a police partner allocated to sergeants on patrol.) A further 70 shifts a month are being lost to events outside the police service area, including protests, sports and other events, according to the source.
Police Association of Victoria secretary Ron Iddles said members in Wyndham were reporting that police numbers were stretched to the limit.
“Calls for assistance are being held, delaying police responses on a regular basis,” he said. “Supervisors are having to make tough decisions about which jobs police should attend, decisions that are frustrating for the community at best, and, at worst, have potentially fatal consequences. When officers are stretched to the limit, the already stressful nature of their job is compounded.”
Police spokeswoman Lisa Beechey said securing courts and policing local events were standard rostering duties, and where possible, were planned for in advance.
“At times, the Wyndham police service area provides staff to help police larger north-west metro events, such as rallies and protests.”
Ms Beechey said that for some events, police covered their shifts on a volunteer basis. “Like any division there are a number of vacancies as police members are promoted or transfer to other areas, and we continue to work to fill these positions.”
She said an additional 300 state government-funded frontline police would be deployed from early 2017. The chief commissioner, she said, acknowledged growth corridors such as Wyndham were a priority.
