Police ‘working days off’ to cover shortfall

Jessica Benton
STAFF shortages in Geelong are forcing officers to work days off and draining resources from the Bellarine Peninsula and Surf Coast, according to a police association leader.
Victoria Police Association assistant secretary Bruce McKenzie said the shortages were leaving communities “duped”.
“Twenty-four-hour stations at Ocean Grove and Torquay can’t be utilised because of a lack of members,” Inspector McKenzie said.
“The stations were opened with great fanfare and the communities are missing out.”
Insp McKenzie said Geelong had joined the Mornington Peninsula as the regions to go the longest in the state without adequate police resources despite large population increases.
Geelong’s uniform police ranks were down 21 per cent and Corio was 26 per cent below suitable staffing levels, he said.
“The real trouble spots are Geelong and Corio. This is where they’re feeling the pinch of under-resourcing, which is in turn having an effect on neighbouring areas such as the Bellarine Peninsula and Surf Coast.”
Insp McKenzie said the shortage had forced command to share Geelong police between the city, Corio and coastal areas.
“It can work the other way, too, where police come into Geelong from the Bellarine Peninsula or Surf Coast, leaving their communities short,” he said.
“The good work police are doing in central Geelong can only be sustained for so long because they’re putting all their attention on one area and neglecting others.”
Insp McKenzie said Corio station was only operating because members were working on days off.
But a spokesperson for Police and Emergency Services Minister Bob Cameron said staff allocations were under control.
“We’ve added 1400 members to the force since 1999,” the spokesperson said.
The spokesperson said Geelong police had done a “fantastic job” on slashing crime.
Geelong police attended a mass meeting in Melbourne this week to discuss resourcing and other issues.