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Police | June 27, 2018

Kealy hosts visit by Shadow Minister for Police

The Nationals Member for Lowan, Emma Kealy MP has hosted a visit to Coleraine and Hamilton by Hon. Edward O’Donohue, Shadow Minister for Police, Community Safety and Corrections to highlight local law and order issues.

Ms Kealy and Mr O’Donohue visited the Coleraine and Hamilton Police Stations on Wednesday and met with local police to discuss figures released by the Victorian Crime Statistics Agency this month that revealed offences in the Southern Grampians Shire Council have risen 39.6 percent since Daniel Andrews took office in December 2014.

“Our hardworking police officers do an outstanding job with extremely limited resources and are doing their utmost to protect our people, uphold the law and ensure safe communities and it is essential that they are provided with suitable premises to do the best job they possibly can,” Ms Kealy said.

Ms Kealy has previously called on the Andrews Labor Government to provide funding urgently needed to replace the Coleraine Police Station and residence, which is past its use by date and no longer meets service demands and security requirements of a modern station.

The Hamilton police station is also in need of renovation, with the holding cells in an unacceptable condition to hold suspects under arrest for more than a few hours.

Shadow Minister for Police, Community Safety and Corrections, Hon. Edward O’Donohue MP said regional Victoria faces a greater challenge to recruit and retain police, a situation which has been compounded by ageing facilities and Labor’s failure to fund new staff to compensate for the two-up staffing rule.

“Daniel Andrews’ soft on crime approach has failed and only a Liberal Nationals Government will make Western Victoria safe again,” Mr O’Donohue said.

“The Liberal Nationals have a plan for mandatory minimum sentences, more police on the beat, a public sex offenders register and tougher parole and bail laws,” he said.