Wyndham residents campaigning for more frontline police have taken their message into the 21st century.
Star Weekly’s Facebook page has been flooded with comments from residents airing their frustration at local police levels.
Police Association figures reveal that Wyndham has 45 police for every 100,000 residents, compared with a state average of 102.
Facebook user Miriam commented: “What I and the rest of Wyndham want to know is how many frontline police are we going to get? We want our fair share.”
She ended her post with the hashtag #HowManyFrontlinePoliceForWyndham.
Other users began to comment, calling for more frontline police and signing off with the hashtag, which later began to appear on other Facebook pages and groups.
The state government announced funding for an additional 300 frontline police members in this year’s state budget and Victoria Police is working through where and when they will be deployed.
“This will be done over the coming months,” a police spokesman said.
“We expect these police to start appearing in stations from early 2017.”
The spokesman said the police would be deployed to respond to local crime issues such as drugs and anti-social behaviour.
He discouraged residents from taking a vigilante approach to crime by conducting local patrols or engaging security firms.
“We want to assure the community we are absolutely focussed in providing safe environments for all Victorians,” he said.
He encouraged residents to call triple-0 when feeling unsafe or if they see something suspicious.
