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Latrobe City records highest crime rate in regional Victoria as Andrews Labor government fails to address lack of police resources

Latest data reveals Latrobe has the highest crime rate in regional Victoria. The Nationals Member for Morwell urges the Andrews government to allocate more police resources to the Valley.

By news@gippsland - 15th June 2023 - Back to News

The Andrews government can no longer ignore the need for more police resources in the Valley, with the latest data revealing Latrobe has the highest crime rate of any local government area in regional Victoria. For the year to March 31, there were 10,319 criminal incidents per 100,000 population recorded in Latrobe - more than double the rate in neighbouring Baw Baw Shire and the highest of any municipality in the state outside metropolitan Melbourne.

Latest data shows Latrobe has the highest crime rate in regional Victoria, demanding increased police resources from the Andrews government for the Valley's safety

Crime rate neglect

In Morwell, criminal incidents have jumped a staggering 15.6 per cent in the year to March 31. The Nationals Member for Morwell, Martin Cameron, said the statistics were irrefutable evidence that more resources must be allocated across the Valley as a matter of urgency.

"We have the highest crime rate of any region outside of Melbourne, yet my repeated calls for adequate resourcing have fallen on deaf ears. There is a dedicated PSO presence at every single one of metropolitan Melbourne's 212 train stations while only 4 stations in the whole of regional Victoria are patrolled by PSOs."

"Recently the Minister for Police showed he has no idea of the dire need for more resources in Morwell by suggesting a handful of PSOs stationed at Traralgon 'have the opportunity' to travel through Morwell. The suggestion that a small contingent of PSOs at Traralgon - who may or may not choose to travel elsewhere - should be responsible for patrolling all the stations across the Valley is ludicrous and shows how out of touch the Andrews government is with the needs of regional Victorians."

Under-resourced community

Mr Cameron said, "Our police do a terrific job in keeping our community safe, but they cannot always attend at the time an incident occurs because they are also under-resourced. If it's good enough for metropolitan Melbourne to have every one of its 212 stations patrolled by PSOs, then this must be extended to every station in the Latrobe Valley and indeed regional Victoria."

"The Andrews government has shown time and time again its contempt for regional Victorians, and this ill-informed and flippant response to a matter of such critical importance is shameful. The numbers don't lie, and Labor can't spin this data any other way - we need more resources in the Valley and we need them now. I am again calling on the Minister for Police to intervene and urgently allocate PSOs to train stations across the Valley," he said.

Pictures from Martin Cameron MP website.

Source: http://gippsland.com/

Published by: news@gippsland.com