Victoria Police’s new $30 million training centre in Craigieburn officially opened last week.
The complex has replaced a training site in Essendon and will receive about 3500 officers a year through its doors to complete a compulsory program to remain qualified in operational tactics and safety training.
Police Minister Wade Noonan, who officially opened the centre alongside Chief Commissioner Graham Ashton, said it set a new benchmark for a police training facility in Australasia.
It has a mock village with fake shops, offices, schools and a police station, two large soft-fall areas for defensive tactics training, two indoor firing ranges and a large indoor fitness assessment area.
“The complex has been purpose-built so the learning spaces closely reflect real-life environments that our members find themselves in daily,” Mr Ashton said.
Twice a year police officers complete training in conflict resolution, defensive tactics, firearms and scenario training.The indoor “scenario village” is big enough to run two separate exercises at once.
“With provision for futuristic virtual reality training, the new complex not only meets our current training needs but will see us well placed to offer world’s-best-practice training to our police and PSOs into the future as our needs and technology evolve,” Mr Ashton said.
