Last month, I launched the Canberra Liberals police policy, as part of the Canberra Liberals Community Safety campaign. As part of the campaign the Canberra Liberals are promising 200 more police officers, transition to a stand-alone police station for Gungahlin, a new police station in Molonglo and other initiatives (see more below).
In my most recent Yerrabi survey, policing and crime were by far the most frequently identified concerns raised to me by local constituents. The lack of police numbers, the security of our local infrastructure, lack of streetlights, illegal dumping, people not feeling safe (raised by more than 1 in 10 respondents!). There is a significant issue here.
The ACT Labor/Greens government has failed the Canberra community across so many areas of Policing such as the lowest number of police per-capita in Australia, and the lowest funding per person for police in Australia.1 The lack of support from the Government in providing more police and adequate protective laws has led to some of the worst criminal outcomes for the ACT in recent years.
There are many other areas of concern from the community, such as the issue of the ‘revolving door’ of bail and sentencing, the decriminalisation of hard drugs, which was not in the public interest and against the advice of AFP, Border Force, and others. Canberra has become the capital for Bikie Gangs to hold their annual meetings at significant cost to the ACT taxpayer both financial and through redirection of resources.2
Meanwhile, the ACT has some of Australia’s fastest growing jurisdictions (Gungahlin, Molonglo Valley). Yet we have inadequate, aging, and overcrowded policing infrastructure in Civic, Gungahlin, and the Woden Police Stations, whilst there is no station in Molonglo Valley area.
It is time for change, time for a fresh opportunity for Canberra. All Canberrans deserve to feel safe in their homes and in the community. A Canberra Liberals Government will deliver:
- 200 more police officers
- The transition to a stand-alone police station for Gungahlin
- New police station in Molonglo
- Progress options for the Civic police station
- Commit $5 million for upgrades to the Woden police station
- Repeal the drug decriminalisation laws
- Crack down on dangerous driving, and
- Introduce anti-consorting laws to aid in the prevention of bikie and gang-related crime
This coming election, vote for James Milligan and the Canberra Liberals for a better opportunity for our hardworking ACT Police.
To read more about how the Canberra Liberals will work to restore public confidence in our justice system and back our hardworking police on the frontline and make Canberra a safer place to live, please click here.