The Honourable Mark Ryan MP, Minister for Police and Corrective Services and Minister for Fire and Emergency Services joined Commissioner Katarina Carrol in officially opening the new Cairns West Police Facility.
Located on Pease Street, Manoora, the new facility began construction in early 2022 with works completed in December 2022.
The state-of-the-art facility was designed with extensive evaluation and consultation with the primary focus on ensuring the delivery of modern, mobile, and flexible policing options.
The Cairns West Police Facility will house eight uniformed police officers that will not only attend to calls of service but also employ a proactive and preventive approach to crime.
The facility will also house the Cairns Safer Streets initiative, a multi-agency partnership dedicated to reducing crime in the Cairns West community.
Commissioner Katarina Carrol said the opening of the new Police Facility will allow for more effective policing in the region.
"The QPS has increased its policing presence in the Far North Region due to an increased demand for its service," Commissioner Carrol said.
"This facility has been purpose built to allow for a more agile community-centric approach to policing, allowing for a more efficient and effective response.
"Our new location will allow us to continue to serve the diverse Cairns community as it continues to grow and flourish.
"I look forward to seeing the positive impact this new facility has on the community and wish the stationed officers the best in their efforts to serve the community.
Minister Ryan said that improving and upgrading facilities is integral to the QPS' function in serving the community.
"This state-of-the-art facility will support frontline officers in the Queensland Police Service, allowing them to better serve the Cairns community," he said.
"Ensuring our facilities are up to date and operate with efficiency is imperative to meet the needs of our community now and into the future.
"This completion of this facility is a demonstration of the Queensland Government's commitment to preventing and disrupting crime in the far north."
Cairns MP Michael Healy said the new Cairns West police facility showed the Palaszczuk Government's commitment to cracking down on crime in suburban Cairns.
"Policing needs to be taken to the suburbs and the building of this asset will be welcomed by the community,'' he said.
"This facility will ensure police are properly resourced, as well as providing a home for a wide range of community engagement activities through the Cairns Safer Streets program.''
