Police ‘Taj Mahal’

By Tania Martin
OLINDA’S police station has been slammed as the ‘Taj Mahal’ of cop shops, lacking only the police to staff it.
This comes as a call for extra police at Olinda has been branded “a political thing.”
The Shire of Yarra Ranges last week agreed to ramp up a campaign to call for more police.
At a meeting last Tuesday 23 June, councillors unanimously agreed to write to the Victorian Police Commissioner for answers.
But the region’s Superintendent Andrew Crisp said there was no need for extra police on the beat.
In fact, Mr Crisp told the Mail, crime was on its way down in the Yarra Ranges.
“This just sounds like a political thing to me,” he said.
However Police Association Secretary, Senior Sergeant Greg Davies disagreed, saying the Yarra Ranges was in the midst of a severe shortage.
“It’s no wonder that recent independent research revealed Yarra Ranges needed an additional 26 police officers to provide an adequate, visible and pro-active police presence,” he said.
Chandler Ward’s Cr Graham Warren moved the motion last Tuesday to take a stand against the lack of numbers.
He said law and order was becoming an increasingly big issue.
“I have had calls from people too scared to leave their houses on a Saturday night … it’s coming to a point where this council needs to take a stand,” Cr Warren said.
Streeton Ward Cr Noel Cliff said Olinda had this wonderful new Taj Mahal of a police station but still had a lack of officers on the ground.
“We wanted a new police station but the mistake we made was we didn’t say we wanted it with police,” he said “There’s not even a cardboard figure, I think people would be happier if we had even a cardboard cut-out.”
Cr Cliff doubted that writing a letter would do much good but said it was time someone took a stand.
“I won’t hold my breath waiting for any change,” he said. “We need to become like a toothache and then, hopefully, eventually something will be done.”
But Supt. Crisp said he was very confident will the level of service the region was getting.
He said crime and traffic statistics had decreased, proving there wasn’t a need for extra police on the beat.
Supt. Crisp said the biggest issue facing the region at the moment was theft of and from motor cars.
But he said it was more a need for people to be aware of the risks of theft than needed extra manpower. “People need to take a shared responsibility with us and make sure their cars are locked and all valuables inside are removed,” he said.
Snr Sgt Davies said there was no doubt the problem could only be fixed by the State Government stepping in.
“They have the capacity – if not the political will – to fix it,” he said.
But a State Government spokeswoman said it was a Victoria Police operational issue.
Snr Sgt Davies said the association applauded the council for taking a stand.