General News
14 September, 2023
Union fears for future of our police station
Policing in Rainbow and Jeparit is under threat if union fears are realised over a sweeping review of the state's smallest stations. Country policing across the Wimmera-Mallee could be set for a shake-up that would see the thin blue line all but...
Policing in Rainbow and Jeparit is under threat if union fears are realised over a sweeping review of the state's smallest stations.
Country policing across the Wimmera-Mallee could be set for a shake-up that would see the thin blue line all but disappear.
Rainbow and Jeparit are among scores of communities said to be under threat of losing their neighbourhood cop aspart of an effort to allow more officers to be rostered to larger stations.
Other townships in the Wimmera and beyond which could see an end to regular grassroots law enforcement include Natimuk, Rupanyup, Goroke, Minyip, Harrow, Beulah, Birchip, Apsley, Balmoral, Wycheproof and Woomelang.
The police union says a review of staffing at single-officerstations is putting these and other communities in jeopardy.
Member for Lowan Emma Kealy said 17 stations in her electorate were under threat from the proposal which would see officers from small towns forced to work out of larger regional centres.
Victoria Police, meanwhile, hosed down the issue, maintaining it "does not have any ongoing issues staffing one-person stations due to resourcing".
Officers have reported that police command has demanded a radical rewrite of an enterprise agreement with the union - the Police Association of Victoria - to allow rostering out to larger stations.
Often police are taken from smaller stations to fill gaps left by police on long-term leave.
Police Association Victoria secretary Wayne Gatt said Victoria Police was struggling to deal with an exodus of officers, and that the force had a higher attrition rate than other workplaces.
"Large 24-hour stations have 800 unfilled vacancies," he said.
Victoria Police confirmed thevacancies were "due to attrition", but maintained any threat of mass closures was an exaggeration.
"There are no plans to permanently close one-member stations," a spokesperson told the Argus.
"Victoria Police has commenced the negotiation phase for the next enterprise bargaining agreement.
"In the interests of good faith bargaining and maintaining the integrity of the bargaining process, Victoria Police will not provide a running commentary on specific matters which may be the subject of negotiation."
Mr Gatt said rationalising policing services in regional communities would be unnecessary if the command addressed the issues that were driving members out of the force.
“We'll engage with Victoria Police in good faith in an attempt to understand what it is seeking through changes to the way single-officer stations are resourced," he said.
He maintained the review could lead to the end of 93 single-officer stations.
Ms Kealy said the move would take another essential service away from small country towns and "undermine the security of rural communities".
“Many of these small country towns are too far away from a major centre for police to respond to an emergency situation within a reasonable timeframe,” she said.