Station to cop more police

By Rebecca Fraser
HOPES are rising for Endeavour Hills Police Station to become a 24hour station.
An announcement that the station was to receive a boost in police numbers has prompted Region Five superintendent Chris Ferguson to suggest the station might be open for a roundtheclock police presence.
“This will lead to a greater level of policing and a better patrol base,” he said.
“It is always good to have an increased police visibility.”
Narre Warren North MP Luke Donnellan said the Heatherton Road station was to receive one senior sergeant, five sergeants, up from the three it currently has, and an extra 10 uniformed members, as of 26 December.
The Victorian Police Association (VPA) and Opposition police spokesperson Kim Wells claimed that the station was struggling to stay open for 16 hours each day due to staff shortages.
Mr Donnellan said the increase in police numbers would “signal to hoons to stop drag racing”.
“The streets in Endeavour Hills will be a lot safer,” he said.
Sergeant Mick Sheers of Endeavour Hills police said the staffing boost would lead to more police on the road.
The station has a night patrol on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, but relies on support from Narre Warren Police Station for patrols on the other four nights.
“Narre Warren currently covers our area four nights a week and that is a big area to cover from one end to the other,” Sgt Sheers said.
“With more manpower, if Narre Warren gets tied up, we will be able to help them.”
But VPA secretary, Senior Sergeant Paul Mullett, said he was “sceptical” about whether the station would open 24 hours a day.
“If they can achieve that (a 24hour station) then that would be great for the local community,” Sgt Mullett said.
“But I still think it will stretch the thin blue line and will deploy officers from other stations to their station.
“I welcome the government’s decision to build the station but these stations have not been properly resourced,” he said.
Sen Sgt Mullett said the VPA would talk to Victorian chief commission Christine Nixon about a resource allocation model that would better allocate police resources to where they were needed.