Media Release: FUNDING BOOST HERALDS A NEW ERA IN CRIME FIGHTING

FROM THE OFFICE OF THE PREMIER

DATE: Sunday, January 18, 2004

FUNDING BOOST HERALDS A NEW ERA IN CRIME FIGHTING

The Premier, Steve Bracks, today said Victoria Police’s Five Year Plan The Way Ahead heralded a new era in crime fighting in Victoria, with police setting the minimum target of a five per cent drop in the crime rate.

Mr Bracks, the Minister for Police and Emergency Services, Andre Haermeyer, and Victoria Police Chief Commissioner, Christine Nixon, today launched The Way Ahead, saying it provided a blueprint for how the force would capitalise on the Government’s massive investment in community safety.

Mr Bracks said the State Government was making a $10 million one-off payment to ensure frontline police had the capacity to enter this new era of crime fighting.

He said while the underworld crime taskforce Operation Purana and other special projects were achieving encouraging results, they were also drawing resources from across the force.

“Today’s $10 million boost to frontline police provides the funding needed to continue to be tough on crime and tough on the causes of crime,” Mr Bracks said.

“Operation Purana, road safety, community policing and a range of other areas will all benefit from this $10 million funding allocation.

“Chief Commissioner Christine Nixon has set the target of a five per cent drop in the crime rate over the next five years. The Government will continue to back the force to achieve this goal.”

Mr Bracks said Victoria Police and the State Government remained committed to reviewing the force’s budget in the short and long term, with PriceWaterhouseCoopers undertaking the review.

“It is important we work with Victoria Police and the Police Association to ensure resourcing assists the force to deliver on its goals for the future,” he said.

The Minister for Police and Emergency Services, Andre Haermeyer, said the State Government was making a considerable investment in Victoria Police, allocating an annual budget of more than $1.2 billion this financial year.

He said the Government was delivering 1400 additional police over two terms and spending $280 million to build 135 police stations across Victoria.

“Victoria Police is delivering an exceptional return for the Government’s investment. Last year Victoria’s crime rate dropped by almost seven per cent and the 2003 road toll of 333 was the lowest since records began in 1952.”

Mr Haermeyer said the Five Year Plan outlined Victoria Police’s plan for achieving its community safety goals such as:
· Intelligent Policing – based on the latest and best crime fighting methods and technology;
· Confident Policing – with motivated, capable, ethical and high performing police;
· Community Policing – close to local communities and responding to local issues and
· Partnership Policing – working with a range of other agencies and groups to build on Victoria’s position as the safest state in Australia.

“The Bracks Government is continuing to deliver to Victoria Police hi-tech initiatives, such as in-car touchscreen computers which will provide better and quicker data for police, under the $140 million Mobile Data Network project,” Mr Haermeyer said.

“We have already funded metal detectors, ballistics vests and Air Tasers, and state-of-the-art training such as that provided at the $8.4 million Operational Safety and Tactics Training facility opened last year.”

Mr Haermeyer said the significant boost in resources at Victoria Police had helped to bring down crime and had given police the capacity to not only tackle new areas of crime but to tackle old crimes in new ways.