A VICTORIAN Government minister has rejected suggestions it is time to redeploy police from the NSW border as the states extended their local coronavirus-free streaks.
Victorian Police Association secretary Wayne Gatt on Wednesday said it was time to bring home the 850 officers deployed to the border operation, which he described as a “huge chunk” of the force.
He noted Victoria listed just one NSW local government area – Cumberland – as a red zone, with the northern state recording 10 days in a row without new community transmission of coronavirus.
Victoria reached three weeks without any new local infections yesterday.
“Our members are telling us they are of very, very limited value there now based on what’s occurring in NSW,” Mr Gatt told 3AW.
“We have to start genuinely thinking about bringing those officers home.”
But Victoria’s Trade, Tourism and Sports Minister Martin Pakula defended the police border presence.
“As soon as police can be reasonably redeployed from the border … they will be,” Mr Pakula said.
“We’ve still got one zone in NSW which is red (and) there is a still a border permit process in place for the border crossing.”
— AAP
