A drop in frontline police numbers has been linked to a steep increase in crime in Melbourne’s north.
Staffing levels at northern suburbs police stations have fallen since the last state election, according to police documents obtained by the state opposition.
In Whittlesea, frontline police numbers have been cut from 123 to 115 since November 2010. The number of recorded offences climbed by 21.27 per cent in the same period.
According to one document, frontline officers at Hume police stations have reduced in number by 10 per cent since 2010.
Victoria Police crime statistics released last week show the number of offences in Whittlesea in the year to March soared from 12,000 to 13,363. In Hume, the number of offences rose from 15,354 to 15,949.
The documents reveal only six of Victoria’s 56 police service areas have more police now than in November 2010.
More than 20 areas have suffered cuts to frontline staffing of more than 20 per cent, but the government argues they are due to decisions made by police command.
The figures were released as Victoria Police Chief Commissioner Ken Lay announced that he wants to cut the number of police officers on the beat as part of a radical overhaul of the force.
Under the plan which was expected to be outlined today, police would be moved from local stations into specialised taskforces.
Whittlesea MP Danielle Green said the figures were concerning due to the soaring crime rates in Melbourne’s north.
“Most locals would be shocked to hear [about the figures] while we are crying out for more police and a new police station in areas like Mernda, which is one of the biggest population growth areas in Australia,” she said.
Opposition leader Daniel Andrews said the plan would break the government’s 2010 election commitment for 1700 new frontline officers. “Every Victorian has a right to expect that Denis Napthine will deliver on his commitment and that these police will not be squirrelled away in some office,” he said.
Police Minister Kim Wells said Mr Lay was responsible for deciding where officers were located.
“Once again, state Labor is desperately misleading Victorians with alarmist claims about police numbers,” Mr Wells said.
“The facts are the Coalition government is on track to deliver 1700 additional frontline police by November this year at a cost of $602 million.”
Mr Wells said there were 1525 more police than when Labor left office, with many officers allocated to areas such as crime command and road policing.
