Closed station gets police boost

OLINDA Police Station is now operating with double the original crew and an extra police sergeant.
Senior Sergeant Doug Berglund said the station now had the staff necessary for operations in the Dandenong Ranges region.
But Eastern Ranges MP Edward O’Donohue has called on the State Government to improve staffing levels at the station.
This comes after the station was temporarily closed last month due to lack of staff.
Mr O’Donohue said he became aware of the problem after reading about the closure in the Mail last month.
In its page three story, ‘Police deny Olinda station is set to close’, on 15 January, the Mail reported that the rumours the station was to close permanently were incorrect.
At the time Snr Sgt Berglund of Belgrave police said the station had closed only temporarily because of a lack of staff.
He told the Mail that one of the three officers stationed at Olinda had been temporarily reassigned to fire duty, making it difficult to keep the station open.
Sen Sgt Berglund said together with the holiday period this had made it impossible to staff the station.
He also said Victoria Police would be undertaking a review of the staffing of the station.