Senior Sergeant Trevor Teer is the newly appointed officerincharge at Pakenham Police.Paul Dunlop
A NEW era for police in Pakenham has begun at the top – and the benefits are expected to filter through the entire community.
Senior Sergeant Trevor Teer was recently made officerincharge of Pakenham Police, an appointment that ended a period of three or four years without a permanent leader at the local station.
Sen Sgt Teer’s appointment also follows the recent announcement that extra police would bolster ranks in Cardinia and Casey by July.
Meanwhile, work is progressing on Pakenham’s landmark police and emergency services centre, a $10 million building that will house police, ambulance, Country Fire Authority and the State Emergency Service with an opening date scheduled for June.
As previously reported in the Gazette, Pakenham has been allocated up to 20 new members – a mix of constables and senior constables – with the latest new arrivals starting this month.
The increased police presence follows a long Police Association and public campaign about staff shortages in Pakenham and Narre Warren.
Sen Sgt Teer said the benefits of the increased numbers were already being felt in the community and around the police station.
“Staff had been doing it tough with the lack of numbers but the new staff bring a freshness into the place and add extra enthusiasm,” he said.
The number of police at Pakenham has risen from 27 to 46 as a result of the staffing boost and mean police can be much more proactive in their efforts to curb crime.
“This will enable us to effectively police the town on a 24 hour basis,” Sen Sgt Teer said.
“Pakenham is already a pretty safe place to live. We want to maintain that and the new staff will help us keep up with the growth in the area.”
Sen Sgt Teer said the extra numbers would allow police to strengthen their presence in Pakenham as well as other local centres such as Emerald, Kooweerup and Bunyip.
“There will be a greater police presence everywhere in the district,” he said.
Together with Cardinia District Inspector Chris Major and Senior Sergeant Steve Matthews, who is in charge of the network of outlying stations serviced through Pakenham, Sen Sgt Teer said he planned to work closely with local criminal investigation and traffic management units to ensure police enjoyed a strong relationship with the people they served.
“We want to very much work with the community, forming partnerships with people like hotel licensees, the elderly, shopkeepers, Cardinia Shire Council and young people,” he said.
Sen Sgt Teer is no stranger to Pakenham, having previously been stationed at Cranbourne.
He lives in Berwick with his wife and has a grownup family.
He said he planned to be here “for at least the next 10 years”.
Sen Sgt Teer has worked in Melbourne’s CBD as well as in country areas such as Wonthaggi.
The challenges facing Pakenham police were typical of the outer Melbourne suburbs, Sen Sgt Teer said.
‘Citylevel’ traffic volumes on countrystandard roads were a constant bugbear for police and other emergency services, he said.
Sen Sgt Teer nominated the coming Pakenham Bypass as one of the biggest improvers for road safety in the area and said it would make an enormous difference to local traffic problems.
