Minister for Police Lisa Neville today joined police at Essendon Airport to inspect the current Air Wing fleet, which will be upgraded as part of a record $2 billion package outlined in the landmark Community Safety Statement.

Three new helicopters and one fixed-wing aircraft will join the force to support responses to incidents wherever and whenever they’re needed.

Victoria Police’s Air Wing unit responds to around 5000 requests every year, assisting police and the community through:

• regular traffic surveillance
• CBD aerial patrols
• search and rescue operations
• assisting police on the ground to target and catch suspects.

Established in 1975, the Air Wing unit includes three dedicated twin-turbine helicopters and an Air Ambulance used to support Ambulance Victoria in responding to emergencies.

The upgrade to the Air Wing fleet comes as the Labor Government announces new facilities and equipment to give the force the latest crime fighting capabilities.

A new training facility will be built for specialist police – while Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) technology will be rolled out to all 220 Highway Patrol vehicles to crack down on unauthorised and dangerous drivers.

An additional 2,729 frontline police have been funded, meaning over the next five years a total of 3,135 police recruits will be in the pipeline.

We are giving Victoria Police every resource they need, as well introducing new laws and reforms to hold perpetrators to account, reduce harm and keep the community safe.

Quotes attributable to Minister for Police Lisa Neville

“From the air, police do amazing work to keep our community safe.”

“That’s why we’re giving Victoria Police a state of the art Air Wing fleet to track criminals, respond to emergencies and support safer communities.”

“This is part of a record $2 billion package for police to ensure they have every resource they need to target crime and protect Victorians.”