A 24-HOUR police presence for the region is still a possibility in the future, with the official opening of New Norfolk’s new Police Station showing there are opportunities for future expansion.

Attended by politicians, councillors, officers and the media, the unveiling of the new station last Friday showed off the new building as a state-of-the-art facility, where police can operate in modern, efficient and comfortable conditions.

The $5 million State Government-funded project – which included the demolition of the old station that had stood for more than 50 years – had been underway since January last year through builders Hansen Yuncken and HBV Architects.

The station, which will operate from 7am-3am, will house 14 officers, while the 40-officer Bridgewater Police Station will cover any incidents or reports in the region over the remaining hours.

The Bridgewater Police Station will soon increase its officer count to 45.

The station was officially opened by the Minister for Police, Fire and Emergency Management, Jacquie Petrusma, and Tasmanian Police Commissioner Darren Hine.

When asked if the station had the capability to host officers 24/7 in the future, Commissioner Hine said: “We’ve actually future-proofed this police station so if we need to expand and the community does need an extra number of police officers here this police station actually future-proofs us.”

The station could also serve as a headquarters for disaster relief, if required.

“If there’s a major incident, we can actually bring quite significant resources here to deal with that major incident and be well accommodated here as well, as sometimes we have to do, whether it’s a flood, bushfire or any other situation.”
“The last station lasted 50 years. This will certainly last another 50 years.”