Drouin station promise
The Liberal-National Coalition has committed to providing Drouin with a new, 24-hour police station if it forms government at next month's state election.
by Aidan Knight
The Liberal-National Coalition has committed to providing Drouin with a new, 24-hour police station if it forms government at next month's state election.
Almost a decade after the issue was addressed by former Member for Narracan Gary Blackwood, sitting Member for Narracan Wayne Farnham and shadow police minister Brad Battin last week committed to a new station which has been the focus of community lobbying for many years.
The announcement places Drouin's long-running push for a larger police presence on the election agenda.
Mr Farnham said there was "more of a need for this now," citing growth in the area.
"With increased growth, you need increased policing," he said. "We've got an area in Baw Baw of 4000 square kilometres. This additional resource is badly, badly needed in Drouin to have response times a lot quicker than what they are now."
Mr Battin said the Coalition believed if regional areas like Drouin grew and became their own cities, "then you need the infrastructure and the support for them.
"Otherwise you're going to create an area people don't want to live in, and that's what we don't want to see," he said.
The station is supported by staff at Warragul Police station, which is the only 24-hour station within the Baw Baw Shire, servicing a total population of 45,000 people.
In 2023, Drouin station was staffed on a 16-hour roster with additional response dispatching from Warragul.
While police cannot confirm the specifics of current rostering (for operational safety), Baw Baw inspector Stephen Cooper said "Drouin Police station is not open to the public 24-hours a day, however local police are providing an effective 24-hour policing response to the area".
"Members of the public who need to attend a police station in person for a non-emergency matter are encouraged to check counter hours on the Victoria Police website. Counter hours are updated daily".
The Drouin station page on the Victoria Police website however, advises residents to "call to confirm public counter hours".
"We know that crime is most effectively detected and deterred when police officers are out in the community, rather than behind a desk at a police station. We want to reassure the community that police officers are available around the clock to respond to incidents as they occur," insp Cooper said.
Similar to its promise for Warragul's Gallagher's Crossing, the Coalition has not selected a site for the proposed station, and is simply committing to undergoing planning and design of a station to be built, if elected on November 28.
Mr Farnham said he'd had numerous conversations with local officers since he was elected in 2023, hearing consistently of under-resourced and overworked staff across the Baw Baw police services area.
"That's part of our state wide plan when it comes to crime and policing," he said.
"It's that 3000 extra police, 1500 from similar jurisdictions around the world combined with 1500 (new recruits) through the academy," he said.
Mr Farnham said the blended recruitment approach intended to restore proficiency to the force, saying the officers it had lost in recent years were largely "people with a lot of experience."
"We need that experience back on the ground and that's part of Brad's policy for the state - crime is out of control, we need to keep people safe and have a plan to do it."
Mr Blackwood spoke in parliament during his time in office about Drouin's need for an upgraded station, and in 2018 launched a community petition to help pressure the then-Andrews government.
Mr Blackwood talked of his disappointment after each state budget was delivered, as the Drouin Station funding never attracted funding despite having secured more than 2000 signatures supporting the proposal.
The station was closed for a six-week period in 2021, for renovation purposes. During this time phone calls were diverted to Warragul station.
In 2023, the community began a renewed effort to secure funds, when the Committee for Drouin launched a second (digital) petition, which garnered support from local government, but nothing came of it.
While the Warragul Police Station cost $5.5 million to construct in 2005, with inflation adjustments, an identical facility in Drouin today would likely require an investment upwards of $15 million.
