WYNDHAM’S police force will be boosted following the allocation of 350 extra officers across the state.
Twenty officers have been allocated to division two of the north-west metropolitan region, which covers Wyndham, Hobsons Bay and Maribyrnong.
The city will also receive its first allocation of protective services officers next month. Fifteen officers will patrol Werribee, Hoppers Crossing and Laverton stations from September 9.
Wyndham’s Acting Inspector Damien Christensen said he expected the municipality to receive many of the new officers.
“I’m guaranteeing we’ll have a significant proportion of that 20. Resources are allocated to match community demands.”
Wyndham could expect even more officers in the next two years as the state government looked to honour its commitment to add 1700 police statewide by November 2014.
Acting Inspector Christensen said local resources were also being supplemented by statewide units, such as the operations response unit (ORU), to tackle problem areas. “There are other resources we can call on, such as the ORU. It’s about providing a localised response to local problems, but lets [us] use other resources when they are available.”
Deputy Commissioner Lucinda Nolan said the 350 extra officers had been allocated to communities where they would make a difference.
“This is about providing police numbers where they are most needed – whether that is in order to tackle statewide priorities that Victoria Police has identified, such as serious and organised crime and road safety, or local crimes impacting on individuals and communities like family violence and property damage.
“When we allocate our police numbers, we also look at emerging crime trends, growing populations and what the community concerns are.”
