YOUNG people across the West will be affected by State Government budget cuts which have axed staff and resources from the Blue Light program, according to Western Suburbs MPs.
Western Metropolitan Region MP Cesar Melhem (ALP) has said Blue Light programs in Footscray, Keilor Downs and Williamstown have been affected by the cuts.
Mr Melhem said documents obtained by the State Opposition show Victoria Police has terminated a Letter of Understanding with the Blue Light State Council.
As a direct result, dedicated full-time staff and resources will no longer be provided to the Blue Light program.
Apart from the famous Blue Light discos, the program includes crime prevention initiatives which aim to identify and address the needs of young people who are at risk.
Mr Melhem said with Victorian prisons housing record numbers of inmates, services which help stop young people from offending are needed more than ever.
“Blue Light programs help at-risk youth before they fall into a life of crime. It means better outcomes for our communities,” he said.
“Cutting funding to the program could mean more crime across Melbourne’s West, and more at-risk young people falling through the cracks.”
Altona MP Jill Hennessy (ALP) said the Wynbay Point Cook Blue Light program, a Point Cook-based a crime prevention initiative for at-risk and disadvantaged yresidents aged under 18, has also been affected by the funding cuts.
“Denis Napthine and his dysfunctional minority government have yet again abandoned another successful Western Suburbs crime prevention program,” Ms Hennessy said.
