Tuesday, 14 November 2023

Southern Metropolitan Region

Georgie CROZIER (Southern Metropolitan) (13:02): (546) My constituency question is for the attention of the Minister for Police. It was revealed last week that 43 police stations across Victoria will have their opening hours cut, including several in Southern Metropolitan Region – South Melbourne, Southbank, Malvern, Camberwell, Oakleigh, Bayside and in the Cheltenham area. This is a concerning development that will compromise community safety. I am contacted regularly by constituents raising their experiences of criminal activity, including disturbing reports of burglaries, thefts and assaults. Julian in Glen Iris wrote to me last week after waking up at 3 am to a group of hooded young men in his front yard. While he scared them off this time, Julian and his family were shaken by memories of a previous incident when offenders broke into their house while they were asleep and stole personal belongings and a car. Victorians deserve to feel safe in their homes and their communities. We need a stronger local police presence, not a reduced one, and we need more numbers on the beat due to underfunding by the Labor government. My question is: why is the government cutting police resources at a time when local crime is on the rise and communities are living in fear?