An online petition calling for almost 160 more police and a third police station in Wyndham has attracted more than 2300 supporters.
The Change.org petition is calling on Premier Daniel Andrews and Police Minister Wade Noonan to address what it says is a shortage of police in Wyndham to cope with the area’s burgeoning population.
The petition was started a year ago but has regained momentum in the past fortnight with 2340 names at the time Star Weekly went to print.
Figures from the Police Association reveal Wyndham has 45 police for every 100,000 people in the municipality, compared with a state average of 102.
The association says Wyndham will need another 159 officers in the next five years to reach and then maintain the current Victorian ratio.
Lead petitioner Sushanthi Kuruwita, a member of Neighbourhood Watch Point Cook, said it was ridiculous that locals even had to ask for extra police.
“Police are over-stretched,” she said. “Neighbourhood Watch Point Cook gets messages from residents asking for help because their calls sometimes don’t get prioritised when it comes down to allocating officers to jobs.
“The residents feel unsafe and helpless because of this.
“There’s a perception that we’re the forgotten area when it comes to the state government.
“We need more funds allocated to Wyndham so the police can do their jobs without being overworked.
“Residents of Point Cook are calling out to the state government to understand the needs of our community and deliver the services we need.”
Asked what the state government was doing to address the shortage of police, a spokesman for Mr Noonan said it had employed 700 new police across the state during its first year in power.
“The deployment of these extra police resources is ultimately one for the Chief Commissioner,” the spokesman said.
