mmg.com.au

The new Echuca police station will cater for a 60 per cent increase in staff numbers to ‘‘future-proof’’ the building.

Campaspe Inspector Martin Dorman said planning meetings within Victoria Police had begun and he expected plans for the site to be finalised in about 12 months.

He said while there were a number of specific guidelines which framed the planning process, the building would have to take into consideration more officers in the future.

There are 54 officers based at the Echuca police station now, including highway patrol, general duties officers and the criminal investigation unit.

Insp. Dorman said he also hoped to have a sex offences and child investigation unit at the new station.

He said Victoria Police would soon engage architects to draw up plans and management staff from the Echuca station would have regular meetings with planners.

He said while cells and interview rooms were non-negotiable in terms of design, the ‘‘flow’’ of the building was open to creative interpretation.

Insp. Dorman said the project manager who had been appointed for the new Echuca station was the same manager who had overseen the building of new police stations at Mildura and Swan Hill in recent years.

A 4000sqm block of land at the corner of Anstruther and Sturt streets was purchased for the new police station last month.

There is no funding yet allocated for the building itself, though Member for Rodney Paul Weller said at the time of the land’s purchase he would immediately step up lobbying for funding.