Minister for Police and Corrective Services and Minister for Fire and Emergency Services the Honourable Mark Ryan MP and Cairns MPs, Michael Healy, Curtis Pitt and Craig Crawford, joined Police Commissioner Katarina Carroll today to inspect progress of the major $17 million upgrade to Cairns Police Station, and to announce the delivery of extra police officers for the region.
Commissioner Carroll said the upgrade of the facility would deliver a boost to services and provide local police and the Cairns community with enhanced and modernised policing facilities.
"This work will cover essential upgrades for Cairns Police, giving officers and the community access to modern services and better local support capabilities," Commissioner Carroll said.
"Our regional police are so embedded within their local communities so the facilities and services they have access to will see a direct benefit to the community in Cairns CBD and surrounds.
"This upgrade will provide state of the art technology to assist officers to plan and maintain the many important crime reduction strategies ongoing in the District from Business Watch, Operation Dryandra and general crime prevention."
Minister Ryan said it was great to be at the site and visualise the proposed upgrade which would ensure a modern environment to enhance the capabilities of local police who protect and serve the community.
"Investment in the Cairns community is so important to allow local police to maintain a high standard of service and continue to counteract crime," Minister Ryan said.
"The government is making a very significant investment in policing, and as part of that investment, the Police Commissioner has advised me that an extra 12 police officers will be deployed to Cairns by the middle of the year, with six of those officers to be based at the Cairns City Beat."
Cairns MP, Michael Healy, said the government was making a landmark investment in police.
"The government is making the biggest investment in policing in Queensland in more than three decades, an investment that will deliver more than 2,000 extra police personnel, including a minimum of an extra 150 police officers to the Far Northern Region," Mr Healy said.
"I welcome the deployment of more officers to Cairns."
The Member for Mulgrave, Curtis Pitt, said alongside that historic investment in police personnel, the government was delivering a $300 million police infrastructure pipeline.
"That infrastructure pipeline is delivering projects like the Cairns station upgrade and also providing funding for the construction of new police facilities at Woree and West Cairns.
"These are important investments for our community."
The Member for Barron River, Craig Crawford, said the Palaszczuk Government was investing in the community.
"With the significant increase in police personnel on the way, it's critical that Queensland also invests in the infrastructure police need and that is what the government is doing.
"More police and better facilities for police is a critical part of supporting community safety."
A budget allocation of $17.412 million has been allocated for the upgrade to the current Cairns Police Facility, with works expected to be completed in 2023.
