A new police station in the heart of the CBD will provide an even stronger police presence and support police operations across the city to prevent crime and keep Victorians safe as part of the Andrews Labor Government’s record boost to Victoria Police.
Minister for Police Lisa Neville today joined Assistant Commissioner Stephen Leane in Bourke Street to announce details of the new Melbourne East Police Station.
Police have outgrown the existing Melbourne East station on Flinders Lane, with the new Bourke Street base to provide a larger, more central policing hub for the eastern end of Melbourne’s CBD.
The Labor Government has provided $36.4 million towards the new CBD station. Its public entrance will be located at 202 Bourke St, between Swanston and Russell Sts, with office facilities to be located at 206 Bourke St.
The station will continue to provide 24-hour, seven-day-a-week service to the community, while also boosting the police response and supporting police operations in the city.
And importantly, the new station will better support police in their role in responding to incidents in the CBD such as the tragic Bourke Street and Flinders Street attacks.
The fit-out will start in October, with the station expected to be operational by the middle of next year. The new facility will provide the extra space needed to support the growing number of police allocated to North West Metro Region, which includes the Melbourne CBD.
As part of the biggest investment in Victoria Police’s history, more than 1,200 of the Labor Government’s 3,135 new police have been allocated to police stations across Victoria, including 19 to the Melbourne Division.
The Labor Government’s investment in policing is having an impact on the crime rate in Melbourne, with the latest crime statistics showing that the crime rate in the area the lowest it has been in a decade, including high harm crimes such as robbery, which fell 23 per cent in the last 12 months.
The Government is upgrading and rebuilding police stations across the state to ensure Victoria’s hardworking police have the facilities they need to carry out their critical work.
It includes completely rebuilding 17 police stations across the state, as well as refurbishing a further 15 stations and 10 police residences, delivering new mobile police stations, and building a new $15 million Mernda police station, which opened in 2017.
This is three times as many station upgrades and rebuilds compared to the former Liberal Government. In addition, the Liberals didn’t fund a single extra police officer and cut funding from Victoria Police staff when in Government – and they’ll do it again if they get the chance.
As noted by Minister for Police Lisa Neville
"The new Melbourne East police station will give Victoria Police a bigger, better and more strategic base to respond to incidents and support community safety in and around Melbourne’s bustling CBD."
"This new station will ensure the community has a state-of-the art policing hub in the heart of the city, while providing police with the space and facilities needed to support their critical work."
"We’ve funded thousands of new police, and we’re giving them the infrastructure, equipment and technology they need to protect and serve our community."
