Update: Warracknabeal's new police station was officially opened on Tuesday morning, two months after officers moved in to the new facility on the corner of Jamoneau and Woolcock Streets.
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Parliamentary Secretary for Police and Emergency Services Paul Edbrooke helped unveil a plaque at the new station, after doing the same at Murtoa on Monday.
The state government provided $2.4 million for the station rebuild as part of a package to replace 10 police stations unveiled in 2017.
Monday:
Specialist police units now have access to separate spaces to conduct their essential work in Murtoa.
Parliamentary Secretary for Police and Emergency Services Paul Edbrooke officially opened the town's new police station on Monday.
Related:
Mr Edbrooke said the new station was built on the existing site at 13 Degenhardt Street, where police officers previously worked from a 24-year-old portable building that had fallen into disrepair.
It features separate interview rooms, new equipment and storage rooms and space to accommodate visiting specialist investigators and police units, including the highway patrol, family violence, crime scene, sexual offences and child abuse specialists.
Wimmera Superintendent Paul Margetts said it was an exciting day, as the completion of Warracknabeal and Murtoa police stations signified the end of upgrades to Wimmera facilities to meet the space and technology needs of modern policing.
"It means people won't have to travel beyond their communities to access specialist police services and vice-versa," he said.
"Other stations upgraded in the past ten years include Kaniva, Nhill, Edenhope and Hopetoun, and we've already seen several examples crime scene and family violence specialists working successfully out of the new facilities."
Two members work out of Murtoa Police station, a sergeant and a senior constable.
Slight change for residents calling police stations
The opening of the new police station comes ahead of Victoria Police officially launching a new automated voice message when people call their local police station from July 1.
Supt Margetts said Wimmera residents were already offered the option of reporting incidents to the Police Assistance Line before being connected with their station.
"For some property-related crimes, matters that are not emergencies or if they want advice on a police-related matter, people can report over the phone or online," he said.
"It means whether the station is attended or not, people can initiate a report which is loaded into our system and referred to crime scene investigation at the earliest opportunity."
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Alexander Darling
Alexander has been a member of the Wimmera Mail-Times' editorial team since December 2018, covering politics, business and property among other rounds. He is a passionate St.Kilda and rock and roll fan, and has previously worked as a radio reporter in Port Macquarie and Gosford, NSW.
Alexander has been a member of the Wimmera Mail-Times' editorial team since December 2018, covering politics, business and property among other rounds. He is a passionate St.Kilda and rock and roll fan, and has previously worked as a radio reporter in Port Macquarie and Gosford, NSW.
