Emerald police station
Renee HEATH (Eastern Victoria) (17:49): (459) My adjournment is for the Minister for Police, and the action that I seek is that the minister will commit to extending the opening hours of the Emerald police station so the area has a 24-hour police presence. I was recently contacted by a constituent that lives just outside of Emerald. She is very concerned about the increase in crime in the area in the last 12 months. She named a few incidents that have sparked her concern. She mentioned that the chicken shop has been broken into, the petrol station was robbed, Mitre 10 was vandalised, there have been multiple attempts at arson recently and there have been youth involved in brawls. She said that every two or three weeks she has to call the police because of out-of-control parties or other issues. She said that the police have to come from Pakenham, which means that there is 30 to 40 minutes between when she calls and when they arrive. The people in Emerald do not feel safe. Some are concerned that if there is a serious emergency help will not arrive on time. I ask the minister to address this issue.