Troy Roberts from the Australian Federal Police Association (AFPA) spoke at the 8th April 2020 Gungahlin Community Council meeting about the need for an expanded Gungahlin police station. At this meeting Troy said “We have serious concerns about the Police infrastructure out there, we don’t believe it is fit for purpose for the Gungahlin community.”
Mr Roberts advised that the accommodation is not big enough for the AFP members that operate out of the Gungahlin station. Mr Roberts also suggested there was insufficient Police numbers to service the Gungahlin region. If there were more Police in Gungahlin this would then place an additional strain on the current facility.
One option that Mr Roberts raised was for ACT Police to take over the Gungahlin Joint Emergency Services Centre in Gungahlin and for a new Joint Emergency Services Centre be built for ACT Fire and Rescue, Ambulance and the Rural Fire Service brigade. The alternate position was for a brand new police station to be built which would also bring some more modern amenity for the Gungahlin community. This would allow expanded space for the other emergency services at the current Joint Emergency Services Centre.
Mr Roberts suggested that replicating the design of the Belconnen Police station which came at an approximate cost of $25 million dollars as an ideal proposition.
Peter Elford, President of the Gungahlin Community Council asked how the Gungahlin community can support this matter. It was recommended by Mr Roberts that the Gungahlin community write to Minister Mick Gentleman and Shadow Minister Giulia Jones.
The discussion with Mr Roberts can be viewed from the GCC April 2020 Public Meeting at the bottom of this article.
Independent candidate for Yerrabi David Pollard announced this week his undertaking to see a new standalone police station to be built in west Gungahlin within 3 years of being elected.
“These areas have been too far out of reach for hard-working members of ACT Policing to respond rapidly from the Gungahlin Joint Emergency Services Centre,’’ Mr Pollard said.
“It is the nearest police station to those areas, and it was opened in the 90s when the population was a mere fraction of its current size.
“Gungahlin’s population has tripled since then. The results of this under-investment in infrastructure are evident in the ACT Policing Crime Statistics [1]
“These suburbs are hurting. In an emergency – rapid response times can mean the difference between life and death, especially in domestic violence situations.”
“The continued use of the combined services building has not kept up with the demands placed upon it.”
“Having a police station close to these homes will make an enormous difference to the safety of our community,’’ Mr Pollard said.
“It will be both a deterrent to crime and a proper law and order response. Half measures like shared facilities do not meet the real need for police officers to take statements, interview multiple witnesses, and properly support victims.”
| [1] https://policenews.act.gov.au/crime-statistics-and-data/crime-statistics |
The following is the video of the discussion with Mr Roberts from the April 2020 Gungahlin Community Council meeting captured over Zoom and shared via Facebook LIVE on My Gungahlin and Gungahlin Community Facebook pages.
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