New police facility for Pimpama

Queensland Police Service Commissioner Katarina Carroll joined Minister for Police and Minister for Corrective Services, Mark Ryan, the Member for Gaven, Meaghan Scanlan, and the Queensland Police Union President, Ian Leavers, in Pimpama today to officially announce a new police facility.

The new police facility will be co-located with a Queensland Fire and Emergency Services (QFES) facility on a 2.4-hectare block of land at the corner of Cox and Yawalpah roads.

Construction of the new $3 million QFES facility is expected to start later this year, with completion slated for 2021.

The rest of the land has been allocated to the Queensland Police Service (QPS) for a policing facility to help meet the growing needs of the local community.

Now that the site has been identified, scope and design work will begin this financial year.

Construction of the new police facility will be undertaken in 2020/21 and 2021/22.

Commissioner Carroll said the new facility would be a positive development for the future of the area.

“It represents the expansion of the community in Pimpama and the northern Gold Coast surrounds.

“The expanding population and infrastructure in this northern area of the Gold Coast sees an increase for service delivery and the provision of an appropriate community safety response.

“A new facility will mean police will have new ways of meeting community needs as this already established community continues to evolve and grow.

“This is an exciting announcement for the Gold Coast, and an opportunity to demonstrate the adaptability of local police as they evolve to meet community needs,” Commissioner Carroll said.

Police Minister Mark Ryan said the new police facility was another example of the government’s continuing investment in the Gold Coast community.

“We support our police by investing in the resources, technology and facilities they need to protect the community.

“The Commissioner and I recently announced that all uniformed first responder officers, including here on the Gold Coast, will be issued with new hi-tech body worn cameras.

“Technologies like the cameras and the QLiTE tablet devices police now have, enable the Queensland Police Service to be more mobile and agile than ever before.

“That mobility and ability to respond rapidly, combined with the fact that there are more than one thousand officers permanently based on the Gold Coast, means the QPS is well placed to support community safety.

“But the QPS is always looking for ways to improve the level of service it provides,” Mr Ryan said.

Police Minister Mark Ryan acknowledged the strong advocacy for a new Police Station that had come over many years from Queensland Police Union president Ian Leavers, and from new South Eastern Region representative Andy Williams.

“I personally acknowledge Ian Leavers’ strong, vocal and robust lobbying for this new police station over many years, and also Andy Williams’ energetic work and lobbying in the last two months, since he became a QPU regional rep,” Minister Ryan said.

QPU president Ian Leavers said, “I thank Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk and Police Minister Mark Ryan for the announcement of this new police station for the Northern Gold Coast.

“Investment in policing is the only way to reduce crime and keep the public safe and this is a great step for the entire Northern Gold Coast community.”

South Eastern police regional representative Andy Williams acknowledged Gold Coast MP Meaghan Scanlon’s tenacious advocacy for not only her constituents but for the entire Gold Coast.

“As the only Government MP on the Gold Coast, Meaghan Scanlon obviously takes all Gold Coast views back to government and I thank her for making the case for this new police station, which will not only deliver better policing services in the Pimpama area but also support policing right across the entire Gold Coast Region,” Mr Williams said.

The Member for Gaven, Meaghan Scanlon, who advocated strongly for the new facility, said it would help police promote community safety across the Northern Gold Coast region.

“I spoke to the Minister about the prospect of this project and I’m pleased to see the QPS and the Government delivering for Northern Gold Coasters,” Ms Scanlon said.

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