Reception hours slashed at police stations in Melbourne's outer-north

Victoria Police is defending its decision to cut public reception hours at police stations in Melbourne's rapidly growing outer north, stating the move will result in more police officers on patrol. Starting this weekend, reception counter hours will be reduced at the Mernda, Mill Park, Whittlesea, and Epping police stations. At Mernda, the reception counter will operate only two days a week, down from five.

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These changes will not impact the 24/7 response we provide, in fact, it will boost it by adding extra police vehicles on the road when the community need us the most.

A Victoria Police spokesperson assured that these changes would not affect the force's 24/7 response capabilities. Instead, they claim it will be enhanced by deploying additional police vehicles when the community needs them most. The spokesperson added that reassigning officers from administrative duties allows for increased proactive operations, such as patrols in shopping centers like Epping Plaza and at Mernda train station to deter anti-social behavior and improve commuter safety.

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This highlights the desperate situation we have been confronting for some time in regards to the severe lack of police we have in Victoria.

However, the Police Association Victoria secretary, Wayne Gatt, expressed disappointment, viewing the reduction in hours as a symptom of a severe police shortage in the state. He argued that Victorians deserve a full-time police force, not a part-time one, citing 1,507 frontline vacancies. Liberal MP Wendy Lovell echoed these concerns, criticizing the Labor government for reducing police station access while crime rises and pledging to recruit 3,000 additional police officers if elected.

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Tax-paying Victorians and Victorian families deserve a full-time police force, not a part-time one. But in lieu of the 1,507 vacancies we have on the front line, that's what they're getting.

Premier Jacinta Allan stated that Victoria has the largest police force in the nation and that it is expanding. She affirmed government support for the chief commissioner's operational decision, backed by additional resources. The decision comes after a March incident where 22-year-old Aiden Becker was allegedly murdered at Mernda station while intervening in an assault.

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Under Labor, crime is up, but police stations are closing because Jacinta Allan has failed to fix the staffing crisis.