Community first for new top cop

Fighting crime will be a “joint community effort” under Geelong’s new top cop.
Superintendent Craig Gillard said working with the community would be his priority as Divisional Commander for Geelong, the Bellarine Peninsula and Surf Coast.
“I have seen first-hand the quantity and quality of the work undertaken by our police members across the division and the effort they make to improve the safety of their local communities,” he said on Geelong Police social media.
“My strong view is that policing is a joint community effort; we need to support each other to reduce both crime and the impact of crime together with road trauma.”
Police and the community must work co-operatively to reduce both victimisation and the impact of crime, Supt Gillard said.
“To this end, I am keen to meet and work with other stakeholders in building upon the number of excellent initiatives already in place in our communities and to working together to ensure Geelong, Bellarine and Surf Coast areas are a great place to live.”
Making policing easier for officers would also be a “key component” of his role, Supt Gillard said.
“As a succession of Chief Commissioners have espoused, we cannot simply arrest our way out of rising crime rates.
“Although our police are well-skilled in the important roles of detecting and investigating crime, further reductions in reported crime will likely be gained through the implementation of enhanced crime-prevention initiatives and positively impacting upon the behaviour of offenders, especially our vulnerable youth.”
Supt Gillard said he joined Victoria Police more than 30 years ago after growing up in Mildura.
He worked in Melbourne and Mildura before spending time as Officer in Charge at Halls Gap in the Grampians National Park.
Supt Gillard later moved to Ballarat where his role as Local Area Commander for Colac and Corangamite area began his “connection” to the Geelong region.
In 2012 he was appointed Operational Support Division commander for Western Region, working from Geelong’s State Government offices and making a “sea change” to the Surf Coast.