By Bonny Burrows
More police will soon be patrolling Cardinia’s streets.
Victoria Police Chief Commissioner Graham Ashton on 5 March announced as part of a state-wide boost, an additional 32 officers would be stationed within the Cardinia Police Service Area by May 2019.
According to Victoria Police, Cardinia was one of the growth areas identified as having the highest need for policing services, along with Geelong, Wyndham, Melton and Hume.
Along with the direct increase of personnel into the Cardinia Police Service Area, specialist divisional units including the Highway Patrol are also receiving additional resources.
Cardinia’s top cop, Cardinia Local Area Commander Inspector Shane Smith, has welcomed the extra manpower.
“The additional police resources announced for Cardinia, and to be delivered over the coming year, will enable us to better meet the expected increase in demand for police services resulting from the current and future population growth,” Inspector Smith said.
“In a practical sense it means local police will be highly visible at community events in all areas of the shire, engaging directly with community members.
“In some ways this boost in resources will enable us to get back to the core of policing, which at its most basic is engaging face-to-face with our community.”
Neighbourhood Watch Cardinia also expressed its appreciation of the additional graduate police on its Facebook page.
“It’s fantastic to see Cardinia receiving a boost in police resources from the recent academy graduates,” it wrote.
With the area’s steep population growth came a need for extra resources, the community safety group said.
“We welcome our new police members and look forward to working with you in helping to create a safer community,” it wrote.
Inspector Smith said local police couldn’t do what they did without the support of strong networks and partnerships with groups such as Neighbourhood Watch, Cardinia Shire Council and Crime Prevention Victoria.
“We are committed to a collaborative approach focussed on improving community safety within the shire,” he said.
“The increase in police numbers for Cardinia will further support this partnership approach to community safety”.
