Victoria is to have 1,500 extra police officers on the frontline under a pledge announced by Premier Ben Carroll, with a new training academy proposed for Wyndham if his government is returned at the November state election.
Mr Carroll said the commitment meant the state would gain at least 1,500 additional officers regardless of which side won power. The proposed western academy would operate alongside the existing facility in Glen Waverley, helping to increase recruitment and make training more accessible to prospective officers across Melbourne.
“My priority is community safety,” Mr Carroll told reporters on Sunday.
Police numbers in Victoria have fallen since the Covid pandemic, with vacancies at one stage reaching 1,500 positions. Chief Commissioner Mike Bush has previously said he wanted the force to return to more than 17,000 officers, alongside changes intended to put graduates on the beat more quickly.
The police union welcomed the plan, saying it could help ease delays in recruitment and training. Union boss Wayne Gatt said a second academy in Melbourne’s west “makes sense” because of the number of recruits waiting to enter the Glen Waverley facility.
“We’ve long said that we need more police and we need them delivered to the frontline more efficiently,” Mr Gatt said.
“The sooner Victoria Police is in lock step with the broader workforce, by employing prospective recruits within weeks and not months, and training them closer to where they live and work, the more achievable that aspiration becomes.”
The Victorian Liberals and Nationals have pledged to restore the police force to full strength and recruit an additional 3,000 officers if they win the 2026 election. Coalition leader Jess Wilson has also promised to reopen more than 40 police stations that have been closed or had their hours reduced.
Opposition spokesperson Brad Battin accused Mr Carroll of acting only weeks before the election, saying the Premier had already closed four new police stations during his time in office.
“Now just before an election, he wants to pretend that he’s going to do something about it?” Mr Battin told reporters in Berwick on Sunday.
His comments came as he and Ms Wilson announced a proposed 607 million dollar upgrade to Thompsons Road. Mr Battin said the Coalition’s plan for 3,000 new officers was needed after residents reported difficulties securing a police response when offenders entered their homes.
The Crime Statistics Agency Victoria said the state’s overall recorded crime rate had fallen by 1.9 per cent, driven by reductions in youth crime and repeat offending. However, overall crime levels remained 26 per cent higher than three years earlier.
