By LACHLAN MOORHEAD
BASS MP Brian Paynter has joined Casey Council in calling for a police station to be set up in Clyde.
Cr Amanda Stapledon in March pushed for council to write to Police Minister Wade Noon and Shadow Minister Edward O’Donohue to investigate the viability of introducing the new station.
Mr Paynter echoed Cr Stapledon’s calls this month.
“Police stations are crying out for additional staff, and the community deserve to feel safe,“ he said.
“When the Coalition were in government, there were up to 800 police recruits at the academy. Now, there is less than half that number.
“New estates are being built, but who will protect these new communities if there is a decrease in police numbers?”
Asked about the calls for a new police station in Clyde during his visit to Casey two weeks ago, Minister Noonan said the government would work closely with police when investigating the potential need for a new facility.
He said the government wouldn’t “impose” stations on police that “may not be required.”
Labor spokesman Kosta Pandos previously told the News that while the government “determines the overall funding for Victoria Police, the Acting Chief Commissioner is responsible for determining the allocation of resources based on operational need.”
Cr Stapledon said her push for the Clyde station was based on community feedback and followed last October’s Police Association rally in Berwick.
At the rally, held in Gloucester Avenue, Police Association Secretary Ron Iddles called for an additional 155 first-response officers for Casey over the next five years, as well as a new 24-hour police station in Casey to cater for the municipality’s population growth.
