By Ann Marie
FOUR police jobs will leave Hobsons Bay for Werribee by the end of the year.
The move is part of an overall review of policing in the region.
It comes shortly after a proposal to close the Williamstown police station overnight.
Regional Superintendent Tim Cartwright said the reductions were “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.
Wyndham residents presented a 10,000-name petition to State Parliament two years ago expressing concern that their only station, at Werribee, was chronically understaffed.
Two Hobsons Bay positions will go from the Williamstown station, and two from Altona North.
“We won’t be moving people. When positions become vacant at those stations, we simply won’t be filling them,” Supt Cartwright said.
He said the changes would be reviewed early next year.
“This will not affect current standards of service. We’ll be monitoring crime rates and making sure of that,” he said.
Supt Cartwright said he was hopeful Hobsons Bay would secure some of the 350 additional police positions that the State Government has promised for Victoria over the next four-years.
Hobsons Bay City Council expressed concern about the reduction, saying it could put community safety at risk.
Mayor Leigh Hardinge said a decline in police numbers would stretch already tight resources and could lead to a rise in crime in Hobsons Bay.
“Everyone has the right to feel safe in their own community, and it’s the view of the council that this safety should not be compromised,” he said.
The secretary of Victoria’s Police Association, Paul Mullett, said the police force should not have to “rob Peter to pay Paul”, nor should Williamstown have a part-time station.
“Williamstown isn’t a sleepy hollow. It attracts thousands of visitors every day and night and it is totally unacceptable to replace face-to-face policing with a door bell,” he said.
Supt Cartwright said public meetings would be held in June to discuss the possibility of closing the Williamstown station overnight.
The community’s interest in police numbers reflected a good working relationship between the police and residents, he said.
“Obviously we all want more services, but we also have to look at the most efficient ways to use those services.”
