Tuesday, 25 August 2026

 John LISTER (Werribee) (13:13): Whether it is driving the fire truck, working with our local paramedics and SES or giving our police the resources they need, community safety is my priority. When it comes to policing, people in the Werribee electorate are served by some of the most dedicated officers in the country, and the Labor government is backing them in with our force now the largest in Australia. In Wyndham there has been an 8 per cent increase in the number of general duties officers and dozens more division-wide officers based out of Werribee police complex. We have also supported more specialist units and programs to target key crime concerns, like our proactive policing team; our embedded youth outreach program, partnering youth workers with officers in key areas like shopping centres; and our youth crime taskforce. While there are more police on the beat in Wyndham, it is clear we need to go in a new direction on some of those critical issues facing our community, in particular crime.

We need more visibility and flexibility for our PSOs. We have extended the hours of PSOs at Werribee and Wyndham Vale train stations, with the new day shifts not only protecting commuters but also assisting police to apprehend offenders in nearby shopping areas, something I saw myself only a few weeks ago in Comben Drive. We have also got PSOs and police officers patrolling Werribee plaza, and I welcome the announcement that we are extending. Every time I visit our police station I see dozens of sworn officers completing admin duties. This is why the government backs the Chief Commissioner of Police in his plan to get police out from behind desks and onto the road. I welcome the announcement that the chief will be rolling out reservists from 7 September to the Werribee police complex. Across this program it means around 16,000 policing hours have been relieved.