Assurances given over police early closing

Liz Bell liz@mpnews.com.au

COUNTER hours at police stations in Mornington and Hastings will be reduced due to statewide staff shortages and a plan to “focus on the frontline”.

In a move announced late on Friday 3 November, Victoria Police Deputy Commissioner regional operations Neil Paterson said Victoria Police would temporarily reduce reception counter hours at 43 stations across the state.

Counter hours at Mornington will be reduced from 24 hours to 16 from Sunday to Wednesday and remain 24 hours the rest of the week.

At Hastings, a 24-hour manned station, counter hours will drop to 16 hours a day.

Hours at some of the busier 24-hour stations, such as Rosebud, will remain unchanged.

As a result of the changes, officers formerly rostered on reception shifts will instead be used for frontline policing duties, and ommunity patrols.

Paterson said that when a station reception counter was closed, police would be patrolling the local area and in many cases, still working from within the station.

“This gives police the best opportunity to respond to urgent incidents, prevent crime before it can occur, and engage with large sections of the community,” he said.

Mornington MP and shadow parliamentary secretary for justice and corrections Chris Crewther said the decision to reduce manned police counter hours was "a terrible one” and should be reversed.

"Mornington and Hastings police stations need more support now than ever, not less, given spates of crime impacting local residents, responding to incidents like the fire last week in Main Street, Mornington, and much more," he said.

Hastings MP Paul Mercurio said the Labor state government had invested more in police than any other state or territory, including new and upgraded police stations.

“The Mornington Peninsula Shire is serviced by a 24-hour police station in Rosebud. It is also serviced by three non-24-hour stations in Dromana, Rye, Mornington, Hastings and Sorrento,” he said.

Paterson said the changes were also expected to give “rostering flexibility” at a time when Victoria Police was managing a significant number of officer vacancies due to attrition.

Paterson said similar changes to reception counters were implemented during the COVID pandemic, with no adverse impact on the Victorian community.

It is expected 23 police stations will reduce reception counter hours towards the end of November followed in coming months by a further 20 stations.

In an emergency, the community is directed to call triple zero (000) for emergencies or the Police Assistance Line for non-urgent reports.

Paterson said all recruits entering the police academy since mid-August were going towards filling attrition vacancies.

The first double squad since May 2021 will graduate from the academy this month.

“Make no mistake - Victoria Police is not closing any police stations,” Paterson said. “When given the choice, police know crime is most effectively deterred and detected via highly visible patrols in the community, rather than from behind a scarcely attended reception counter.”