Tuesday, 17 March 2026

 Wendy LOVELL (Northern Victoria) (21:55): (2414) My adjournment matter is for the Minister for Police. The action I seek is for the minister to return the Mernda and Epping police stations to being open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and ensure the stations are fully staffed. Under Premier Jacinta Allan crime is up but policing is down. Mernda train station was recently the site of a fatal stabbing when good Samaritan Aidan Becker stepped up to help someone and paid the highest price for his brave intervention. This tragic murder is sadly part of a larger pattern in which crime has exploded by 54 per cent in the Whittlesea police service area since 2022. But instead of increasing police activity and availability the Allan Labor government has reduced the opening hours at police stations in the area and is operating stations at 50 per cent or less of their designated staffing levels.

Mernda police station opened in 2017 with the promise that it would be a 24/7 station with extra staff ready to serve a rapidly growing area, but Mernda station has instead had numerous unplanned closures, even during the middle of the day, because the Labor government cannot adequately staff the station. Instead of increasing police resources to address rising crime in the area, the Allan Labor government has reduced the opening hours of both Mernda and Epping police stations, closing them completely on weekends and weekday evenings after 6 pm. I have frequently raised this issue in Parliament, and the minister replied to one of my questions to say that members of the public seeking assistance can attend either the Mill Park police station or the Mernda police station, which both continue to operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week. But we know this is a misleading statement. It is not true that members of the public can attend Mernda police station 24/7. The station remains closed on weekends and evenings after 6 pm because the Allan Labor government is totally failing in its responsibility to recruit the staff that Victoria’s police force needs.

I raised my concerns directly with the local police command at the Whittlesea neighbourhood policing forum in February, stressing how important it was for women fleeing domestic violence to be able to seek refuge and find safety at the police station at night. Officers explained that they want to be available to the public, but with the resources stretched thin they are forced to choose between being on the road and being available at the station counter. With nearly 2000 vacancies on police rosters and more than 40 stations closed or operating on reduced hours, the Allan Labor government is failing Victorians, who pay the price when they are the victims of rising crime. It is vital for community safety that the minister return the Mernda and Epping police stations to 24/7 stations and fully staff both stations.