The announcement from Minister for Police and Emergency Services Peter Ryan that our city will receive the majority of the 22 extra police allocated to the Division 3 area follows an influx of senior officers following the election of the Coalition Government in 2010.

Mr Ryan was saying all the right things about the allocation of these officers – which is handled by the force itself – to identified issues, such as Bridge Mall and family violence.

It’s recognition that the government and Victoria Police are listening to local residents’ concerns about safety on our streets and in our homes, which have, unfortunately, been borne out in a very public manner in recent years.

Progress on increasing police on the beat is welcome and is overdue. The state of flux regarding these issues created uncertainty in the community for far too long, even if some of those feelings were misinterpreted.

The perceived lack of action on community safety, focused on police numbers, became a major issue both on the political front and within the force itself.

While crime and sentencing remain major social issues in Ballarat and Victoria in general, the steps taken to address the needs of local policing have largely been positive in the past few months.

The community perception will continue to improve if police are seen more often and in larger numbers. To this end, the creation of new police stations in the north and south-west, another Coalition election promise, still needs to be met.

Complicating the issue is just where these stations will be and how they will fit in position with Ballarat’s rapidly growing population.

The government says the money is ready for these stations, once sites are identified.

If this is the case, we support all action in naming the sites and getting work underway. Delivery on political promises for one reason, delivery on a safer Ballarat for another.

Ballarat welcomes this week’s announcement and we hope to see how these increased numbers help to make our community safer.