By BRIDGET SCOTT
PAKENHAM police station’s new Inspector has says that growth in the area and the addition of new police to the ranks will be a key focus for him.
Inspector Shane Smith is excited to be at the Pakenham station after he recently took over the role from Rob Wallace.
Previously at Sale for 16 months, the new Inspector said he has spent most of his career around Frankston and Dandenong but had “always wanted to come to Cardinia.”
He said a key focus for him would include the management of extra police around the area.
“A focus will be the new police set to start in Emerald,” he said.
“This will be a key challenge for us.”
“We will have to plan for growth and how we can deliver these police services.”
Insp Smith added that with a new team being built, the challenge ahead would be how to effectively deliver and implement the new recruits.
Insp Smith was also part of a new High Volume Crime Prevention Campaign launched in Pakenham two weeks ago, which targets thefts from cars and houses.
He said he was happy to see this project launched in Cardinia.
“I think that it’s good that we were the first,” he said.
The police officer said members from the uniform branch have been out in the community to promote the new campaign.
“We’ve had crews at the railway station and visiting businesses too,” he said.
Traffic management will also be in the mind of this new Inspector who said there were “a few irons in the fire”.
“Hoon’s, serious collisions and fatalities too,” he said. “How can we target these challenges for the better?”
Insp Smith said with a good amount of resources at the moment, the station had the capability to ramp up their presence around the area which meant extra focus on foot patrols.
“We are of a staff level at Pakenham that means these are now available,” he said.
