As part of the crackdown on crime, a new state-of-the-art Victorian Police forensics hub will be established in the Latrobe Valley to target the spread of ice and other drugs.
This facility will help keep the community safe by allowing police to solve more crime, faster – with fingerprint, DNA and drug testing taking place at the hub, instead of hours away in Melbourne.
It will house a team of 12 specialists and will include a mix of biological, chemical, digital, botanical, and fingerprint analysts.
The demand for forensic services continues to rise each year due to the increasing reliance on these methods by our police, as they seek to put offenders off the streets and behind bars.
The Latrobe Valley forensics hub will play a crucial role in solving crime in Gippsland.
This project was funded by the Andrews Labor Government as part of a $596 million Public Order Package in the 2016-17 Victorian State Budget.
Planning is already underway for this facility and it will be operational by the end of 2018.
Thanks to investments by the Labor Government, the Fulham Correctional Centre is also recruiting 62 jobs. The vacancies include Correctional Officers, Clinicians, and Activities Officers.
Fulham is a 947 bed medium security prison that employs 352 people. It is a major source of employment and economic development in the Valley and Central Gippsland.
Quotes attributable to Premier Daniel Andrews
“This is about giving our police in Gippsland the tools and resources they need to catch criminals and keep the community safe.”
“We are also working hard to boost jobs in the Valley and this project will deliver crucial construction jobs, as well as a team of highly specialist forensic workers working right here in the Valley.”
Quotes attributable to Member for Eastern Victoria Harriet Shing
"This new hi-tech forensics facility is a further investment in the Latrobe Valley region and builds on our commitment to support local police and the communities that rely on them."
“This facility will equip our police with state-of-the-art technology and remove the need for officers to travel to Melbourne.”
Reviewed 19 August 2020