By Denise Deason
WYNDHAM Police will get 10 more officers within six to eight weeks.
Acting Inspector Bill Weatherly has welcomed the news.
“The demands on police in Wyndham are high because of the boom in population,” he said.
“With the rise in population come crimes, particularly in the areas of youth and family violence.
“We’re getting the extra troops.
“Now we just want to do our job to the best of our ability.”
Acting Insp Weatherly said four of the 10 police officers would be coming from Hobsons Bay and the rest from other stations within the division.
“On top of this, we’ll be getting nine more officers when our new Crime Scene Unit at Werribee station is up and running in the next few months,” he said.
“We’re also hoping that in the allocation to be made early next year, Wyndham will get another 10 to 12 officers.”
Wyndham has seen an 8.4 percent rise in population in recent years, with six new families moving into the municipality every day.
The city’s population is now 126,000 and, by the middle of next year, is expected to exceed 130,000.
Residents presented a 10,000-name petition to State Parliament two years ago that stated their only station at Werribee was chronically understaffed.
The State Government has promised a second police station at Wyndham North by 2008.
Wyndham has suffered, at times, the label of being a high-risk area for a range of crimes including burglaries, general theft, youth disturbances and domestic violence.
Regional Superintendent Tim Cartwright, in commenting on the loss of four police jobs at Hobsons Bay, said the reductions are “part of a normal process based on fluctuating demand.”
“We felt these positions would be better deployed in Werribee where the demand is higher,” he said.
In the recent State Budget, the government promised 350 additional police positions for Victoria over four years.
Both Wyndham and Hobsons Bay are hoping to secure some of these officers.
