The Nationals and Liberals in government will deliver Protective Services Officers (PSOs) to Morwell and Moe train stations as part of a broader plan to crackdown on crime and strengthen community safety in the Latrobe Valley.
In addition to the dedicated PSO presence at Morwell and Moe, mobile CCTV trailers will be rolled out across the Latrobe Police Service Area in a bid to give police flexible deterrent assets in crime hotspots.
Moe Police Station will also be returned to a 24-hour station, after counter hours were drastically cut under Labor, restoring the face-to-face service residents deserve and rely on.
The Nationals’ Member for Morwell, Martin Cameron, has lobbied the Carroll Labor Government for PSOs since being elected in 2022.
“The independent Crime Statistics Agency shows that crime around public transport hubs in Gippsland increased a massive 33 per cent last year alone,” Mr Cameron said.
“We have a serious problem with anti-social and criminal behaviour in town centres across the Latrobe Valley, and it is having a disastrous impact on small business and – more importantly – community safety.
“Regional Victorians deserve to feel safe when they step onto a train platform or wait at a bus interchange, but under Labor they don’t.
“The Nationals and Liberals will deliver PSOs to Morwell and Moe, rollout mobile CCTV trailers, and restore Moe Police Station to a 24-hour station.”
Shadow Minister for Police, Brad Battin, said the localised measures added to The Nationals’ and Liberals’ $100 million Safer Communities Plan to restore safety across Victoria.
“Martin Cameron has advocated fiercely for more police resources in the Latrobe Valley, especially the allocation of PSOs at Morwell and Moe, and the data supports those calls,” Mr Battin said.
“The deployment of PSOs across Victoria’s public transport system was an initiative of the former Baillieu Coalition Government and has played an important role in preventing crime and improving perceptions of safety for commuters for more than a decade.
“Labor has stripped PSOs from 110 train stations, failed to properly resource our police, and shut the doors of local police stations while Victorians feel less safe.
“Only The Nationals and Liberals will put PSOs back on platforms, recruit 3,000 more police, reopen closed police station counters and restore community safety.”
Caption: Member for Morwell Martin Cameron, Nicole Appleyard (parent of a student who was assaulted at Moe train station), Member for Eastern Victoria Region Melina Bath, and Shadow Police Minister Brad Battin.
