Police presence

By Mara Pattison-Sowden
WARBURTON Police want the community to know “our door is always open, even if it may look closed.”
The Upper Yarra police stations are suffering from the stigma of “closed doors”.
Although the Warburton and Yarra Junction stations are not classified as 24-hour stations, the police, who spend a lot of time on the roads patrolling the Upper Yarra, are keen to get the message out that police are available.
Warburton police station Senior Sergeant Tom Wilkinson said he wanted to link in with the community when they had something to report, instead of after the fact.
“The professionalism up here is second to none,” he said.
“But we use the resources that we’ve got, and we’re better out patrolling.”
Sen Sgt Wilkinson said if community members needed to reach the police, the intercom on the door of the police station would enable police at Yarra Junction, Mooroolbark or Lilydale to pick up the call, and transfer them to the closest patrol car.
“Alternatively, if it’s not urgent you can leave a phone number and we can call you back,” he said.
“But if it’s police work that needs to happen, call Triple-zero.”
Sen Sgt Wilkinson said this included police attendance, whether or not it was an emergency.
“Noisy parties, suspect vehicles…we want to be notified,” he said.
He said sometimes the officers were only 200 metres away, and if a witness rang Triple-zero police would have a higher chance of catching the offenders.
Sen Sgt Wilkinson said the Upper Yarra didn’t have a Neighbourhood Watch program, so it was important for residents to report any issues.
“If people think something is not quite right, we can check it out and put it to bed rather than trying to chase it up three or four days down the track,” he said.
He said the Yarra Valley also had the resources of the Highway Patrol and a Criminal Investigation Office located out of Lilydale.
“Triple-zero just taps into us faster, taking out the middle man,” he said.
“We can always drop back to the station to get a phone number, or if it’s paperwork that needs signing, leave a note at the station and we can get back to people.”