The Police Association of Victoria has renewed its call for extra frontline police officers at Melton to fight the scourge of domestic violence.
According to association president Ron Iddles, an extra 81 officers are needed at Melton to merely “backfill those currently deployed to family violence teams and increase numbers at chronically understaffed police stations”.
The appeal follows the findings of the Royal Commission into Family Violence, which heard that “high and escalating workloads” of domestic violence cases were placing a “significant strain” on officers, requiring an urgent increase in police numbers.
Several agencies, including Good Shepherd and Domestic Violence Victoria, echoed the association’s call “advocating a significant increase in the number of frontline members so as to guarantee a timely and adequate response and follow-up to family violence incidents”.
Mr Iddles did not say how many more police would be needed statewide to tackle the chronic problem of domestic violence, but he said numbers across the state had reached “critically low” levels.
“We have recently met with the chief commissioner [Graham Ashton] and with the government seeking a joint commitment to urgently recruit hundreds more police officers to plug some of the gaping holes at police stations, like Melton,” Mr Iddles said.
“We shouldn’t be constantly chasing our tails on police numbers.
“Government needs to properly commit to resource Victoria Police for the long term with uniformed officers who can drive police vans and respond to calls for assistance.”
Opposition policing spokesman Edward O’Donohue said the Royal Commission’s findings highlighted the need for more police.
“It’s past time that [Premier] Daniel Andrews made community safety a priority,” Mr O’Donohue said.
“That means we need more police on the beat as well as tougher sanctions for offenders once they’re caught.”
A spokesman for acting Police Minister Robin Scott said the government was “working closely with Victoria Police to ensure they have the resources they need”.
Meanwhile, a Victoria Police spokeswoman said the force was committed to implementing the commission’s recommendations and working towards “eliminating” domestic violence.
“We will now work with the government and other agencies to determine the amount and type of resources required to implement these recommendations and further protect victims of family violence.”
