Political leaders vow to boost law and order in Melbourne
VICTORIA Police have been promised a swag of election commitments as both major parties look to campaign on the law and order front.
Victoria State Election
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VICTORIA Police have been promised a swag of election commitments as both major parties look to campaign on the law and order front.
Labor Premier Daniel Andrews said his government would work with Victoria Police Command and its union to establish a set of minimum staffing standards in the coming months.
While the Coalition has promised a $29 million roll-out of 4000 tasers to the Victoria Police officers.
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Both Mr Andrews and opposition Leader Matthew Guy spoke on Thursday to delegates at the Police Association of Victoria annual conference. Mr Guy’s taser roll-out will start at 24-hour stations as a way to combat the ‘crime-tsunami’ occurring under the Andrews Government.
“If I am elected Premier, we will increase frontline police numbers and give them more resources like Tasers and we are going to introduce tougher sentences and make bail and parole harder to get.”
But earlier Mr Andrews said his record investment in 3100 new police would allow the force to set minimum staffing numbers.
“We will sit down with the association and police command and agree a set of minimum staffing standards.”
He also flagged the government would be open to publishing police response times. Victoria Police is the only emergency organisation in the state, and one of the few in the country, that does not publish response time
The Herald Sun revealed new Police Association figures that show frontline police numbers had actually dropped by 190 officers from 2013.
Police Association of Victoria secretary Wayne Gatt blames says the “obsession” with deploying officers to taskforces has resulted in the drop of frontline numbers.
Mr Andrews said the new Staffing Allocation Model would determine where its influx of 3100 new police officers will be deployed.
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