Moorabool will receive one additional police officer as part of the next intake, which focuses on regional areas.
The state government last week announced 788 police and 25 Protective Services Officers (PSOs) will be deployed across the state over the course of twelve months from May, with Moorabool and Ballarat to receive one additional officer each.
The Melton area will not receive any additional officers in this intake, after seven officers were deployed there in the May 2019 class. Moorabool received 10 officers in the same 2019 intake.
Deputy Commissioner Rick Nugent said continuing to boost regional policing numbers was an ongoing focus.
“Today represents the biggest injection of regional officers in our 167-year history, with regional Victoria set to receive more than 350 frontline officers from May 2020,” Deputy Commissioner Nugent said.
“I know the challenges faced by our rural police, so these additional numbers will be a welcome relief.
“The additional numbers will assist our officers tackle key issues we face in rural areas such as family violence, drugs, road trauma and natural disasters.
“Our unwavering focus remains on tackling high harm offending which can often have traumatic and life-changing consequences for victims”
A statement from Victoria Police said several factors are taken into consideration when allocating new resources, such as calls for assistance, reported crime, event management and traffic incidents, and the time required to provide these services.
Ewen McRae
