More than 80 new frontline police officers will hit the streets of Whittlesea and Hume from next month.
The state government and Victoria Police last week announced 45 new officers for Whittlesea and 36 for Hume.
They are among 300 frontline officers who will be allocated to stations in growth suburbs. The positions were funded in last year’s state budget.
Inspector Andrew Falconer said the officers were great news for Whittlesea.
“Police are very hard-working out here. It is one of the largest growth areas,” he said.
“These [officers] are in addition, there is no shuffling around.”
Inspector Falconer said the majority of the new officers would be allocated to the Mernda police station, which is due to open later this year.
He said the boost would allow Whittlesea’s dedicated family violence unit to continue to operate, while maintaining a frontline presence.
Police Minister Lisa Neville said the officers had been allocated to communities that needed them the most. She said the officers were the first of 3000 new police members who will soon be on the frontline.
“More police out on our street will have a real impact on local communities as they work to prevent, detect and disrupt crime,” Ms Neville said.
Police Association secretary, Sergeant Wayne Gatt said the extra officers had been needed for some time.
“We commend both the government and Victoria Police for being true to their commitment to prioritise the deployment of the first 300 officers recruited to the main growth corridors of Melbourne where population is booming and where more police are most urgently required,” he said.
The announcement of the new officers comes as latest data reveals that Whittlesea’s crime rate jumped 21.3 per cent between 2015 and 2016, driven by a surge in home break-ins and car thefts.
The increase was the highest in the north-west metropolitan area and double the state average.
Crime Statistics Agency data recorded 17,031 offences in Whittlesea during 2016, up from 14.036 in 2015.
