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Frontline Police Numbers Keep Climbing

21 April 2017

There are more sworn police officers in Victoria in every region across the state since the Andrews Labor Government came to power, according to the latest Victoria Police staffing report released today.

This is before another 300 police officers start to hit the street next month as the Labor Government continues its record investment to keep Victorians safe.

An extra 390 police have joined the force since the government came into power, with 13,525 Full Time Equivalent police officers now employed across the state.

The figure shows clear growth in police numbers since 2014, which disproves the misleading claims by the Liberals that there are less police in Victoria.

Of these, an extra 56 police have been employed since December 2016, and the number of recruits has more than doubled over this time, according to the latest Victoria Police employment figures for March 2017.

Police Custody Officer numbers are also on the rise, with 287 PCOs now working in police cells in stations, releasing sworn officers from custody duties back to the frontline.

Since its introduction, the number of police officers performing custody shifts has decreased by almost 80 per cent at the 22 police stations where PCOs are deployed.

Almost 200 extra Protective Services Officers (PSOs) have come on board since December 2014, with 1,314 PSOs carrying out patrols and a further 38 in training. These PSOs have freed up more than 47,000 shifts for police officers, allowing police to spend more time on the street and doing specialised work.

In December, the Labor Government announced a $2 billion package to give Victoria Police the resources, powers and laws it needs to keep our state safe. The Labor Government is also on track to recruit, train and employ 400 Protective Custody Officers by the end of 2017, with 22 recruits in training.

The Victoria Police Academy will continue to run at capacity over the coming years, delivering on the Community Safety Statement which includes a commitment to recruit and deploy 3135 new police on top of normal recruitment over five years.

Quotes attributable to Minister for Police Lisa Neville

“The numbers of Victoria Police are on the rise since the election of this Government and they are set to grow even further following our record investment in the police force.”

“These new figures expose the dishonest and misleading claims of the Liberals, who didn’t fund one additional frontline police officer when they were in Government.”

“We have been clear that we will give Victoria Police the resources and the laws they need to tackle crime and that’s exactly what we are doing, with the recruitment of an additional 3,315 new police and record funding for new state-of-the-art equipment.

Reviewed 19 August 2020

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