General News
5 March, 2024
Thin blue line: empty northern stations
COMMUNITY concern is rising that northern Loddon communities are without a permanent police presence. Residents say police resources are stretched while one-member stations at Pyramid Hill, Serpentine and Boort are covered from other local towns...
COMMUNITY concern is rising that northern Loddon communities are without a permanent police presence.
Residents say police resources are stretched while one-member stations at Pyramid Hill, Serpentine and Boort are covered from other local towns.
The Pyramid Hill station, empty since the former officer retired last year, now has police from Inglewood on secondment.
The vacancy is still to be advertised. It was not in last week’s Police Gazette and may not appear until later in the year.
The Police Association claims “recent resource shortages and heightened levels of work-related injuries within policing have left some gaps”.
Veteran Boort policeman Ray Stoman remains on sick leave and police from other Loddon stations continue to provide a local presence. Serpentine has remained empty since the officer was injured last year with people living near the police station and residence taking turns mowing front yards until last month.
One of Serpentine resident Steve Brown, said on Friday: “There’s no police permanently in the northern half of the Loddon Shire.
“We want police back in our towns. Around here, the whole town is not happy that there is not a station in use between Eaglehawk and Kerang.”
Mr Brown’s concerns were echoed by Dot and Ken Hulands.
Mrs Hulands said she had witnessed two cars racing side-by-side on the Loddon Valley Highway through town this month.
And Mr Brown said: “We had a car go through on the Loddon Valley Highway the other Saturday night ... easily doing 200kmh.
“At the end of the day, we need a copper in town.”
Pyramid Hill resident Kel Stewart said there was apprehension in town about the lack of a permanent police presence. “We may be a small town but we need our local police,” she said.
Her concerns came in a week when bollards in Railway Avenue were damaged and thieves stole an external water pump connected to sporting change rooms at Mitchell Park.
Murray Plains MP Peter Walsh said he was appalled communities from Bendigo to Kerang were being left without any permanent police presence around the busy Loddon Valley Highway.Mr Walsh said a permanent police officer in small country towns “is a great deterrent to the criminal element” and should never be underestimated.
“Any government that can come up with a staffing strategy which deliberately leaves so many communities exposed should be ashamed of itself,” he added.
“This is another example of citycentric government which doesn’t understand regional Victoria, and clearly doesn’t give a damn.
“Of course there will be injuries and illness but the Allan Labor government is failing to deliver on its promise to provide the police we need, just as it has failed in so many areas.”
Kel Stewart said: “If we had a permanent police officer here, that would be reassuring.”
The Police Association spokesperson said the association “has long held that single officer stations are an important fabric in the overall policing of regional Victoria and as such, has fought for their continued existence”.
“Greater emphasis must be placed on ensuring our workplaces and their practices are modernised to minimise injury and the subsequent impact on police resourcing.”
Victoria Police was contacted for comment but had not responded when the Loddon Herald went to press.