THE state government has moved to shore up support for one-officer stations across the Wimmera, following reports they would be phased out.
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A report in The Weekly Times on Wednesday suggested one-officer stations would disappear across regional Victoria.
There are one-officer stations at Rupanyup, Goroke, Apsley, Natimuk, Jeparit, Rainbow, Harrow and Balmoral.
Police Minister Wade Noonan said the report was untrue.
‘‘The Andrews Labor government supports one-man police stations in regional Victoria,’’ he said.
‘‘Despite reports to the contrary, 105 one-man police stations are not being phased out. We understand they are an important fabric of many small towns in this state.
‘‘This government does not support the forcible closure of police stations against the wishes of local communities.’’
The one-officer station at Minyip has been unmanned since August last year.
Yarriambiack councillor Terry Grange said he believed the absence of police presence in Minyip had led to more crime.
‘‘Recently the op shop was broken into and it’s right opposite the police station,’’ he said.
He said one-officer stations were vital to small communities such as Minyip.
‘‘The local police officer is part of the community,’’ he said.
Cr Grange said he would meet with police on Monday for further negotiations about manning the station.
Victoria Police spokeswoman Lisa Beechey said there was a review of service demand at Minyip.
‘‘Currently Minyip Police Station is open to the public two days a week for limited hours and regular patrols are done by police from the Northern Grampians Police Service Area,’’ she said.
‘‘Minyip continues to receive a 24-hour police response from resources across the Northern Grampians PSA.’’
Police Association secretary Ron Iddles said Victoria Police had been slow to fill the vacancy, but he understood the officer at Minyip would be replaced.
Ms Beechey said there were no plans to close one-officer stations in the Wimmera, but stopped short of assuring their long-term survival.
‘‘We continue to strive for the best possible service, and to provide a quick response to calls for service,’’ she said.
‘‘However, as highlighted in our blue paper report last year, we are clear that delivering the best possible service to the community will require us to constantly reassess where we put our police and how they are used.’’
The blue paper floated the idea of regional ‘superstations’ that would centralise rural police resources to regional centres such as Horsham.
Mr Iddles said he believed the blue paper had sparked discussion about the future of one-officer stations.
‘‘While occasionally Victoria Police will say we want to review our model and demand for service, one thing you can’t measure is the effectiveness of one-officer police stations being involved in the community,’’ he said.