By Ewen McRae
Moorabool and Melton police numbers will be boosted as part of a statewide roll-out of new officers.
Moorabool will soon have an additional 10 officers, along with 12 officers in specific units who will be shared with the Ballarat service area.
The shared officers include six family violence specialists and four highway patrol officers. These police will be deployed across the area over a 12-month period, starting in May.
Acting Assistant Commissioner Paul Naylor said the Ballarat and Moorabool communities can look forward to seeing an increased police presence in their area.
“This injection of resources will help us improve our policing response in the Ballarat and Moorabool areas,” Mr Naylor said.
“As part of Victoria Police’s Staff Allocation Model (SAM), Ballarat in particular was identified as an area with a high need for services.
“We are committed to keeping the community safe and these extra resources will help us to respond and prevent crime where and when needed.”
The announcement follows the addition of 14 officers to the Moorabool area in last year’s deployment.
Melton Police will also receive seven new officers and will share 14 family violence specialists and two highway patrol officers with the Brimbank region.
Deputy Commissioner Rick Nugent said the extra police were crucial in providing a visible presence for law enforcement in the region.
“Every day and night police right across the state are working hard to keep people safe,” he said.
“We know that in order to do that we need to be visible in the community, with police out in vans providing a mobile and agile response to incidents that occur.
“It also means having expert teams in place that can provide a specialist capability to investigate complex crimes, gather intelligence and prevent harm in the community.
“Rest assured we are never complacent. We will continue to monitor trends and emerging issues and police right across the state.”
