A Facebook page is not a “substitute” for an effective police response in Melton and Caroline Springs, according to the Police Association.
The union’s response to the launch of the Melton Eyewatch page by Victoria Police came as residents persisted with calls for more boots on the ground.
The page’s aim is to engage with Melton and Caroline Springs residents following increased safety concerns.
“It’s a bit of a relief – not 100 per cent relief,” one resident said at a community meeting. “I think the only thing that will make us safer is more police on the roads.”
While some residents welcomed the announcement of the page, one described it as a “whitewash”.
“I feel so much safer now that we got Eyewatch!” Steve wrote on Facebook. “They should call it ‘whitewash’! Lol.”
Police Association secretary Ron Iddles said Melton and Caroline Springs communities had been “begging” for Victoria Police to allocate more resources to combat increasing crime.
“Technology that empowers the community to speak to their police is a welcome initiative and Eyewatch has proven to be good for this purpose, but it is in no way a substitute for an effective police service,” Mr Iddles said.
“Police have been saying for months that they are at breaking point. They are working with dangerously low police numbers and need additional support to meet the needs of this community.”
Frontline police needed to be re-allocated to areas of greatest need, including Melton and Caroline Springs, while the additional 300 frontline police announced in this year’s state budget were being trained, he said.
State Police Minister Lisa Neville said residents had been asking for an Eyewatch page for several months and that it would be an “important tool” in providing the community with accurate information.
“We’ve got an increase in crime and we need to be able to meet the expectations around additional policing,” she said.
Deputy commissioner Andrew Crisp said Victoria Police was aware of challenges being faced by suburbs experiencing population booms and was “very focused” on deciding where the additional 300 frontline police would be allocated.
But he would not be drawn on when the announcement would be made or if Melton would receive the additional 80 police officers identified by the Police Association as being needed.
When Star Weekly asked if a Facebook page was a sufficient response to police describing under-resourcing in the area as reaching “crisis point” and residents fearing for their lives, he said Eyewatch was “one part of the overall picture”.
“It’s a local solution for a local issue,” he said.
Premier Daniel Andrews announced on Sunday plans for new carjacking laws carrying jail sentences of up to 25 years.
