August 2009 - The Police Association Victoria

11
Cr Graham Warren.
moment it can take 30 minutes for
police to get to our area from the
24-hour stations at Lilydale and
Mooroolbark.”
There are times when there are no
police available in the Healesville
area after 2 am on the weekends
when the twilight shift knock-off,
because the crews from the 24-hour
stations at Lilydale, Mooroolbark
and Belgrave have been called out
of the area. If a van crew makes
an arrest they have to lodge the
prisoner at Ringwood, taking
the van off the road for possibly
two hours.
Jeanette McRae wrote to Police
Minister Bob Cameron on behalf
of the 9,000 plus people living in
Healesville and the surrounding
area. She pointed out that it is not
just the residents who deserve a
better police service; it is the visitors
as well.
“A recent visitors’ survey for Visitor
Information Services found that of the
16% of visitors to the Shire of Yarra
Ranges who stayed overnight, 32%
stayed in Healesville which was by far
the largest number for any area of
the Shire. Given the added attractions
of Healesville Sanctuary, numerous
wineries, cafes, scenic drives such as
the Black Spur and destinations such
as Eildon, Fraser National Park and
Lake Mountain, day visitations create
an added mass of population.”
Mr Cameron’s response, which
was received almost two months
after Jeanette wrote to him, was a
nine paragraph missive outlining
all that the government has done
Cr Tim Heenan.
for police. It did not address Ms
McRae’s actual concerns. The local
state member, Ben Hardman MP
fully supports Jeanette’s call for
better resources and has written to
Bob Cameron on her behalf.
The councillor who looks after the
Streeton Ward and the township
of Olinda has been quoted in the
local papers calling the new police
station as the Taj Mahal.
“We wanted a new police station
but the mistake we made was we
didn’t say we wanted it with police,”
Councillor Noel Cliff said. “There’s
not even a cardboard figure, I think
people would be happier if we had
even a cardboard cut-out.”
A new police station is planned for
Lilydale, but as Cr Graham Warren
says, “it is not about the police
station. The police working in it is
the issue.”
Graham Warren, who moved
the motion to write to the Chief
Commissioner, says he has received
a number of calls from elderly
residents who say they are too
scared to leave their houses on
weekends because of the lack of
resources.
“In the more remote, outlying
areas, the residents just don’t bother
ringing because they believe the
police won’t come,” says Graham.
But all the councillors were at
pains to point out that the local
police do a good job. They are great
supporters of their local police.
“They do a great job, a
magnificent job. This is not a
criticism of the police. There is
just not enough of them. They are
spread too thin on the ground,”
says Graham.
Graham Warren told The Police
Association Journal that many
serving police contact him about
the resourcing shortages but they
seem petrified to speak out.
“That concerns me. The people
on the ground know what is
happening. They are living it
every day. If they feel they can’t
get that message out, then their
superiors and the public are getting
a very jaundiced view of what
is happening.”
The Shire of Yarra Ranges has
the same problems as many other
PSAs in Victoria. The rosters have
just enough people to cover the
basic shifts, so if a member goes off
sick there is no minimum service
delivery.
Cr Tim Heenan says the late
licensed premises in the shire create
issues in the townships yet police
haven’t extended their numbers
to correspond with the number of
hotels that have had their trading
hours extended.
Tim says police resourcing seems
to be going back to the down-sizing
days of the Kennett era.
“Society is changing too,” says
Councillor Chris Templer. “There is
a lot more anti-social behaviour.”
“Police need to keep civic order
and they need to be resourced to do
it,” stresses Graham Warren.
The Police Association applauds
the Shire of Yarra Ranges Council
for taking a stand.
www.tpav.org.au The Police Association Journal August 2009