Independent candidate, Margaret Strelow is calling for a renewal and expansion of police facilities across the electorate as a high-priority in the new government.

 

Our police facilities are desperately in need of renewal.

Our main Rockhampton station is bursting at the seams with the expansion of police numbers as well as the administration required to support them.

The building dates from the 1960s.

I remember going to the celebration of a minor extension and a refurbishing in 2001 or 2002 and I don’t think there’s been much happen to it since.

 

And police and staff posted at North Rockhampton have more than doubled since it was built in 2001.

 

Gracemere is dated and needs expansion if that station is to ever deliver the 24 seven service that Gracemere needs.

 

There has been significant growth in police officers in our region and we’re pleased with that but the facilities they are working in are old and crowded and inadequate for a modern workforce.

No other government department is asked to put up with the crowded and aged facilities that seems the norm in our region for our police service.

 

We’ve seen the appointment of additional police and new specialist units.

Now we need to back our police with both the right legislation and the right facilities.

 

We are a growing community and

the accommodation for our valued police service needs to grow at the same rate as our community as well as include future planning in the design.

 

Police dedicate their lives to protecting their community and we need up to date facilities to help make that work a little bit easier.

 

We have seen the police expand their capability in so many different areas and of course the recent focus on addressing domestic and family violence as well as the justified community concern about youth crime have meant that we are making greater demands on our police services.

 

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