She said prior to the election, newsletters distributed by Mr Britza declared that the upgrade would be a big boost for fighting crime and would ‘help keep our families safe from thugs and crooks who terrorise our neighbourhoods’.
‘The election commitment included $11.7 million for a major upgrade of Morley police station to house 80 police officers,’ Ms Sanderson said.
‘But his promise has been abandoned just five months after his re-election.
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READ NOW‘Now it appears the only upgrade the station will get is some extra female toilets.’
However, in response Mr Britza insisted the commitment had not been broken, with the upgrade delayed and expected to be completed next year.
He said the upgrade was primarily to take care of Morley officers and would allow the station to cater for up to 80 officers. ‘The building is tired and it needs to be upgraded as far as lock up and also security for police goes,’ Mr Britza said.
Police Minister Liza Harvey said the project formed part of the West Metropolitan District upgrades in Morley, Mirrabooka and Scarborough.
She said the project tender quoted to have the Morley station upgrade completed by May 2013 (as promised prior to the election) was too expensive so the Government had to review it, pushing the upgrade back a year.
‘The money is in the budget; we’re in the middle of the process to get the job done and we expect that station to be completed by 2014,’ Ms Harvey said.
‘We’re doing a capacity upgrade to the station and some improvements to the offices there including the bathrooms and kitchen facilities.
‘We’re not promising 80 officers for that station; we’re improving the amenities and facilities for the officers and then we’re adding additional capacity so that that station will be able to house up to 80 officers.
‘We don’t need 80 police officers in Morley at the moment,’ she said.