Police stations in outer suburbs should be merged and new courts built in growth areas to address the challenges facing the justice system, according to Infrastructure Victoria’s draft 30-year blueprint.
It recommends closing smaller stations and creating as many as 24 police “supersites” with “greater emphasis” on crime prevention.
The independent body has made a suite of infrastructure recommendations to the state government, including introducing a new police phone line for non-urgent calls, enabling cases to be diverted from courts and developing case management computer systems to be rolled out across the criminal justice system.
The draft report also states courts should be built in “high-growth metropolitan areas, such as Melton” over the next five to 30 years.
Infrastructure Victoria chief executive Michel Masson said the recommendations addressed the challenges faced by police, courts and the justice system.
“The draft strategy recommends that justice facilities – such as courts and police stations – should be jointly planned and integrated with human services, such as family violence, mental health and drug and alcohol rehabilitation services,” Mr Masson said.
Police Association Victoria secretary Ron Iddles has slammed Infrastructure Victoria’s recommendation for police supersites.
He claims more than 80 per cent of Victorians want to live within a 10-minute drive from a police station.
“They would prefer a smaller police station closer to where they live rather than a larger centralised station further away,” he said.
“The bottom line is that the first and most important step for government is to commit to an urgent injection of additional police to meet the state’s burgeoning population, particularly in growth corridors like Melton and Caroline Springs.”
Mr Iddles said that while a phone line for non-urgent calls could have potential to free up some police resources, it should not be seen as a “substitute for additional boots on the ground”.
A Victoria Police spokeswoman said there were no plans to close police stations to form supersites and any decisions would be made following community and government consultation.
The state government was contacted for comment.
