Cop shop chop

By DANIELLE GALVIN
THE FUTURE of Lang Lang’s police station rests in the hands of Victoria’s top cop.
Chief Commissioner Ken Lay will have to decide whether the town’s police station, which operates 12 hours a week, will remain open as a “shopfront” or close down completely.
On Monday night, worried residents turned out for a heated meeting at the Lang Lang Community Hall.
Southern Metropolitan Region Superintendent Derek Lamb told the meeting it was his personal view that police could better service Lang Lang from Kooweerup and Pakenham, and that there was no real need for a police officer to live in the town.
“Twelve months ago I made a commitment that we’d come back and review the situation,” he said.
“For the past year, Lang Lang has been operating as a shopfront and that was done as an opportunity for people to go into the police station.”
But residents at the meeting were vocal about their frustration at the possibility of losing the town’s police station.
Brian Candy said with development in Lang Lang and Kooweerup increasing, it didn’t make sense to take away the limited police presence from the town.
“We should be looking at going forward – not going backwards,” he said.
Supt Lamb said that Officer was also a significant growth area in the shire. One resident asked whether a police station should be built there.
“The government decides where to build police stations,” Supt Lamb said.
There was also a discussion about the need for a 24-hour police station in Emerald. Earlier this year, the State Government announced that a new station would be built in the hills town to be opened in 2014. Supt Lamb said that the growth in Lang Lang was not necessarily as significant as some residents believed. He said Lang Lang was the only remaining town in metropolitan Melbourne to have a one-man station but one resident remarked that the town shouldn’t be considered metropolitan.
“So many people are so disillusioned with the lack of police presence,” she said.
Di Comber said that Kooweerup should be manned 24 hours a day instead of 16 and she raised the issue of hoon drivers in the town on weekends.
Mr Candy said Lang Lang was expanding at a significant rate and that there was a need for a greater police presence.
“A good old country copper is what we need,” he said.