Geelong to get more custody officers

Geelong has been promised more custody officers, relieving the region’s stretched police numbers, the state government has announced.
The second squad of police custody officers will be deployed next week after graduating from the Victoria Police Academy on 15 March.
Parliamentary Secretary for Justice Ben Carroll said the 21 new officers would free up sworn police to return to the jobs they were trained to do.
Geelong’s new custody officers will start on Monday, along with others in Ballarat, Broadmeadows, Dandenong, Heidelberg and Sunshine.
Mr Carroll said the squad was the first to undertake the foundation eight-week training program, including two weeks working at police stations.
He said the Andrews Labor Government had invested $148.6 million to recruit, train and deploy 400 custody officers in 22 police stations over the next three years.
“Custody officers will be progressively deployed to a select number of other police stations throughout the year,” he said.
“For the first time ever Victoria Police have dedicated professionals to manage individuals in police custody.
“Police at local stations tell me how important these officers are at freeing up police, so they can get back on the beat to keep our community safe and fight crime.”