07 Mar 2018 Wangaratta Chronicle, Wangaratta VIC (General News) An additional seven officers for family violence roles WANGARATTA will get an additional seven police officers as part of a statewide boost to Victoria Police resources. The extra officers, all with specialist family violence roles, are expected to take up positions over the next year. Victoria Police confirmed the extra officers on Monday, with Jaclyn Symes (MLC, Northern Victoria) saying a total of 33 additional officers will be deployed across the North East. Ms Symes said the unprecedented boost to Victoria Police will see more officers out in the community protecting and serving residents to reduce crime, with the resources they need to target and prevent burglaries, violent crime and family violence. The new police officers include an extra 20 police officers allocated to police stations in the North East as specialist family violence roles, which frees up other police to deal with other crime, she said. It also includes parental leave backfill positions. Ms Symes said family violence can take up to 60 per cent of police time on shift, with officers attending a family violence incident every seven minutes across the state. These dedicated resources will be a huge benefit to local stations, she said. The safety of our local community is key and weve listened to police to give them everything they need the resources, the technology and the powers to keep the community safe. Our communities in the North East can expect to see more police on the street, more proactive patrols and even stronger enforcement over the next 12 months. The resourcing boost is part of the State Governments Community Safety Statement, which is underpinned by a record $2 billion investment to provide police with resources, powers and laws to help keep Victoria safe. The record investment in police and community safety is already making a difference, with crime decreasing for two consecutive quarters with the most recent data from the independent crime statistics agency showing the biggest drop in the crime rate in more than 10 years, Ms Symes said.Licensed by Copyright Agency. You may only copy or communicate this work with a licence.