There will be more police on the beat in Victoria with 21 new police officers graduating tomorrow and almost 50 new custody officers in training.
Premier Daniel Andrews and Acting Minister for Police Robin Scott visited the Victoria Police Academy today to congratulate the 21 new police officers and 19 Protective Services Officers (PSOs), who will graduate on Friday.
The Premier also met 48 new custody officer recruits who started training at the Academy last week and will start work at police stations across Victoria in May.
For the first time Victoria Police have dedicated Custody officers who have been introduced by the Andrews Labor Government to manage prisoners in police cells and oversee prisoner transport to courts, which frees up police officers to get out into the community.
Since coming into office, the Labor Government has funded nearly 700 extra police personnel and delivered a record $2.5 billion to Victoria Police to help keep our community safe.
This includes $148.6 million to recruit, train and deploy 400 custody officers in 22 police stations over the next three years.
A total of 36 police custody officers have now been rolled out at Ballarat, Bendigo, Broadmeadows, Dandenong, Geelong, Heidelberg and Sunshine police stations.
Since the first deployment in January, custody officers have been rostered on for more than 900 shifts, freeing up police officers at those stations.
Victoria Police will deploy 200 custody officers to stations across the state by the middle of 2016, which will allow front line police to get back to the work of protecting the community.
Quotes attributable to Premier Daniel Andrews
“Putting custody officers in our police stations means there’ll be less sworn police monitoring crooks in cells - and more out on the streets catching them.”
Quotes attributable to Acting Police Minister Robin Scott
“We've funded nearly 700 extra police personnel and delivered a record $2.5 billion to Victoria Police to help keep our community safe.”
“Specially trained custody officers are already having a significant impact across the state, supporting police at seven of Victoria’s busiest police stations and freeing up police officers to get back out into the community.”
Reviewed 19 August 2020