By PAUL MILLAR
GEELONG will become one of the first service areas in Victoria to receive custody officers, freeing up more police on the beat.
Police Association chief Ron Iddles said he expected 15 local police to be relieved of cell duties with custody officers taking up the role.
With funding from the state budget allocated for 15 additional officers on the Bellarine that takes the progressive on-beat increase to 30 police.
“It’s a good result for Geelong,’’ Mr Iddles said.
“Geelong will be one of the first allocated sites for police custody officers,” he said.
“This will put officers back on the beat, that will mean 30 additional police back on the streets,” Mr Iddles told the Independent.
The boost is part of a budget commitment of almost $150 million over four years to introduce 400 custody officers, who will replace police on cell duties.
The custody officers will have to be trained before receiving station allocations.
A police shortage on the peninsula became a hot issue in the lead up to the last state election with smaller stations on the coast opening only for limited hours, prompting an outcry from locals.
This week’s budget allocated $7.8 million for more police to be stationed in the growing areas of Bellarine and Geelong and for longer opening hours at Drysdale, Portarlington and Queenscliff.
In addition the roll out of custody officers will begin this year, with 400 more police to be released from babysitting duties across the state to investigate crime.
In releasing the budget Police Minister Wade Noonan said: “Police who could be on the front line catching crooks are currently stuck babysitting people in the local lock up. It’s a waste of time, skills and resources.
“We’re taking cops off babysitting duty and putting them back on the beat where they belong. They want to keep our community safe and we’re helping them.
“More police on the beat in our growing suburbs, more drug and booze buses on the road, and more drug scientists in the forensics lab – we’re giving police the resources they need to do their job and keep us safe.”
