Premier Ben Carroll today announced the recruitment of 200 more police reservists - to get station counters open and put more frontline police back on the beat.
This new cohort builds on the 200 already being rolled out across the state.
400 reservists mean Victoria Police frontline members can undertake an additional 86,000 shifts a year.
How it makes communities safer
Changing counter hours at stations across Victoria have freed up police to be out in the community fighting crime.
But Victorians have told us they still want to see someone at the counter when they walk into their local station.
That's why new reservists will go straight to counters chosen by Victoria Police's intelligence - helping more police stations stay open for longer.
Reservists already deployed
Reservists have already been deployed to Altona, Caulfield, Cranbourne, Frankston, Glen Waverley, Knox, Moonee Ponds, Moorabbin, Oakleigh and Richmond, boosting the hours stations are open.
The reservists program has been very popular with hundreds of applications received so far.
Since July, 50 reservists have been deployed to their local stations with a new squad of 25 sworn in every fortnight.
Reservists need at least two years' prior policing experience to apply, then a one-week training course before they're back at work.
Every reservist on the front counter is a sworn officer which frees up our frontline police to get out on the streets - responding to crime, not answering phones.
This builds on Labor's plan to recruit 150 more Protective Services Officers, allow police to patrol shopping strips and put more PSOs in more shopping centres.
Jess Wilson's Liberal-One Nation Coalition is promising $40 billion in cuts.
That just means cuts to the police that protect our community.
As stated by Premier Ben Carroll
"Victorians have told us they still want to see someone at the counter when they walk into their local station, and I'm listening."
"That's why these new reservists will go straight to counters chosen by Victoria Police's intelligence."
As stated by Minister for Police Paul Edbrooke
"Reservists are already keeping stations open longer and every one of them on shift means more police on the beat."
"Only Labor will give police what they need to fight crime. Liberal police cuts will make Victoria less safe."
