The Australian Federal Police Association (AFPA) welcomes todays (22 August 2024) annoucement regarding a new police station for the Molonglo Valley.
AFPA President Alex Caruana said that this announcement would place valuable police resources in a rapidly expanding area.
“We have been talking about the creation of a new police station in Molonglo since 2019, and we welcome the announcement made today by ACT Labor. The area is expanding, both residential and commercially, and it’s time that the Molonglo Valley community has a dedicated police service for their area.
“Woden Patrol and Belconnen Patrol have done a fantastic job serving and protecting the area. This new police station will allow ACT Policing to redefine patrol zones, which we believe, will have a positive impact for the community.
“Our only concern is staffing this new station. ACT Policing can’t afford to lose officers from existing stations, and it’s important that the new station is staffed appropriately to cover the patrol zone.
“Currently, Woden and Belconnen are big patrol zones, so to add more police resources and capabilities to the Molonglo Valley will hopefully mean better response times in all three areas,” Mr Caruana said.
The AFPA thanks the current Minister for Police and Crime Prevention, Mick Gentleman for fighting behind the scenes for this commitment.
AFPA President Alex Caruana said that this commitment, along with the earlier commitment regarding additional police officers would be welcomed by ACT Policing members and the Molonglo Valley community.
“ACT Policing has had low numbers for awhile now, and this has taken a heavy toll on the members, both physically and psychologically. They have been housed in some pretty average accommodation, and I know for a fact that Minister Gentleman has been working hard on the inside addressing these issues.
“Work still needs to be done, such as a new City Police Station, ACT Policing Headquarters and Watch House, but things are moving in the right direction.
“We look forward to the planning and development phase of a new police station for the Molonglo Valley and in due course, an official opening.
“The AFPA would welcome the opportunity to work with the ACT Government and ACT Policing on these vital projects.
“With these new projects in the pipeline, ACT Policing will hopefully have state of the art facilities that can cater for the growing ACT community and more complex criminal environment, Mr Caruana said.
For comments:
AFPA Media and Government Relations Manager
Troy Roberts – (02) 6285 1677 – troy.r@afpa.org.au
