Police get new boss

By Kath Gannaway and Tania Martin
YARRA Ranges police have a new boss after a police region boundary reshuffle.
Assistant Commissioner Wendy Steendham will oversee the-new look Eastern Region.
The changes, which come into effect on 1 July, have realigned the five existing regions into four.
Eastern Region takes in Knox Division and covers Yarra Ranges, Knox and Maroondah municipalities with headquarters located at Knox.
The other regions are Southern Metro Region, North-West Metro Region and Western Region. Police say the alterations will significantly enhance their emergency management capabilities, aligning with other government agencies such as the Department of Human Services.
Crime rates, projected population growth and the number of police employees in each location were taken into account in determining the new boundaries.
Superintendent Peter Bull, project manager of the Regional Boundaries Project, said the current boundaries had been in place for 10 years and the changes would enable Victoria Police to closely focus on the different needs of each police area and be better prepared to respond to emergencies.
“The changes will assist managers in better co-ordinating local arrangements in times of emergency and should not impact on day to day policing,” Supt Bull said.
Supt Bull said a significant amount of work had been undertaken by the project team to ensure the changes were as seamless as possible.
“These are quite significant changes and we believe they will provide a more cohesive emergency service response for Victorians.”
Cardinia police will be moving into South Metropolitan Region but little is expected to change. District Inspector Wayne Viney said police internal structures would stay the same.
But he said it would be a bigger region which would stretch from Greater Dandenong to Prahran and Moorabbin.
Insp Viney said the move meant the Cardinia district had access to a large group of resources if needed.
“It’s not going to have any real impact on us,” he said.
“There will still be the troops on the ground and it will be business as usual but we will have a bigger network to call on if needed.”