Arabic version: العمال يتعهد بتوظيف 1500 شرطي وأكاديمية في ويندهام
According to ABC News, a re-elected Labor government would recruit an additional 1,500 police officers and build a new Victoria Police training facility in the Wyndham area of Melbourne’s south-west if it wins the November state election.
The pledge would lift Victoria’s police workforce to just over 17,000. Premier Ben Carroll said police officer applications were at a five-year high, but training was constrained because the state has only one permanent police academy, at Glen Waverley in Melbourne’s south-east.
Mr Carroll said a western Melbourne academy would allow recruits to train closer to home. Labor also plans upgraded facilities and accommodation at Glen Waverley to increase the number of officers trained at one time. Recruits currently spend 25 weeks at the Victoria Police Academy.
A regional training facility is due to open in Mildura next year, while a second is planned for Gippsland. Mr Carroll said Labor also planned to increase the number of squads trained at those facilities and fast-track applications from defence force veterans and Protective Services Officers.
The Police Association of Victoria welcomed the proposal. Union secretary Wayne Gatt said more police were needed and should reach the frontline more efficiently. In April, the Liberal party pledged an additional 3,000 officers, including a $5,000 relocation allowance for officers moving to Victoria from overseas.
