The crisis created by Labor’s soft approach on crime has been underscored by the Crime Statistics Agency’s latest data, which reveals criminal incidents have skyrocketed across the Latrobe Valley.
The Latrobe local government area continues to have the highest crime rate of any municipality outside of metropolitan Melbourne, with criminal incidents spiking 11.6 per cent in 2024.
But the most alarming statistic pointed to a deepening crisis in the town of Churchill, where criminal incidents have surged by a whopping 38 per cent.
The Nationals’ Member for Morwell Martin Cameron said the data was “damning” and highlighted an urgent need for more police resources in Churchill.
“Residents have been telling me for a long time that the reduced operating hours at the Churchill police station are having a disastrous impact on community safety,” Mr Cameron said.
“Churchill is no longer a 24-hour police station, meaning resources are being called in from Morwell or Traralgon after hours where our police officers are already stretched thin.
“People who have lived in Churchill for decades tell me the rise in assault, vandalism, theft and car beak-ins has been stark, and their sense of safety is being eroded.
“I wrote to the Minister for Police in 2023 asking for additional resources and a 24-hour manned police station, but that was ignored.
“I have written again, this time to the Chief Commissioner of Police, asking for a review of the operating hours at Churchill police station in recognition of the enormous 38 per cent spike in crime.
“Instead of making funding cuts and forcing Victoria Police to find $2 billion dollars in savings, the Allan Labor Government must properly resource police stations in regional Victoria to restore community safety.”
