[Jade Benham] Reopening police stations and delivering more police for Victoria

Community safety will be restored to the Mildura electorate and across regional Victoria with 3,000 additional Victoria Police officers to be recruited under a Jess Wilson led Liberal and Nationals government.

Under Labor, cops are down, but crime is up.

Under Labor, our population is growing but our police force is shrinking.

Police rosters have more than 1,500 vacancies, and over 40 stations are either closed or operating on reduced hours - including several across the Mildura electorate.

The Nationals' Member for Mildura, Jade Benham, said our local police are doing a great job, but they need government support.

"Local police do an outstanding job, but they are stretched too thin. Our communities deserve to feel safe and to have a visible police presence when they need it."

As part of the Nationals and Liberals' Safer Communities Plan, police stations operating under reduced hours will be restored, alongside a major recruitment drive to boost frontline policing.

The Safe Communities Plan will increase numbers in the police academy and recruit from the UK, Ireland and New Zealand, with dedicated recruitment teams will be established to fast-track applicant checks and multiple squads to be run simultaneously.

Shadow Minister for Police and Corrections, Brad Battin, said: "Under Labor, our population is growing but our police force is shrinking - resulting in record high crime levels.

"This significant boost in police numbers will provide Victoria Police with the resources they need to crack down on offending and restore community safety across our state."