The push for a third – and possibly fourth – Wyndham police station has been renewed.
Police Association secretary Wayne Gatt said a police station in Point Cook was vital to service the needs of the growing community.
“Point Cook is a major growth area and we must show foresight now by investing in a new police station, with the necessary police to operate it, before the booming growth outstrips the ability of local resources to keep up,” Mr Gatt said.
Wyndham councillor Tony Hooper said he was a strong advocate for a Point Cook police station, and would also like to see another police station in Wyndham Vale.
“We know that the [Werribee] police station is getting upgraded and that’s great … but that doesn’t take away the broader needs.
“The growth of Wyndham is projected to go nuts out that [Wyndham Vale] way.
“Given that we know where the growth is going to be … I’d hate to see a repeat of what Point Cook and other areas are going through and actually start talking about a cop shop in that area now, well before it’s needed, so that in 10 or 20 years’ time when it eventuates, the land has been put aside, the budget’s been put aside, the officers have been trained.”
The desire for a Point Cook police station has been a hot topic in recent years, with Western Metropolitan MP Rachel Carling-Jenkins raising the issue in Parliament in October 2015, and a 2016 online petition attracting more than 2300 supporters.
The calls come after a Star Weekly report that revealed Wyndham has less police on the beat now than it did in September of 2015.
Wyndham councillor and safer communities portfolio holder Kim McAliney said the council did not have a formal position on a third police station being in Point Cook, but was lobbying the state government for a family violence support safety hub within Wyndham.
“Positioning a family violence hub here in Wyndham would represent an opportunity for the government to allocate resources where they are most needed,” she said.
