Station will herald a new era of policing in Queanbeyan

Queanbeyan’s long-awaited state-of-the-art police station and courthouse will open on schedule in March 2021, and is described by the local commander as a facility that will herald a new era of policing in the area.

Monaro Police District Commander Acting Superintendent John Klepczarek said the $17 million police station will bring Queanbeyan and the surrounding area into line with the latest facilities and technology in Australia.

After more than two-and-a-half years in a temporary location on several floors in Morisset Street, all of the 100 staff will be co-located in one building, which will also be the headquarters for the Monaro Police District which encompasses 14 stations in the region.

“Our police officers will be more than happy to say goodbye to the old building in Morisset Street, that’s for sure,” Acting Superintendent Klepczarek told Region Media while preparing for the move.

“When you duck over to the new station and see what’s coming and then you come back to what we’ve got now, you appreciate that we’re very fortunate to have this great new station.

“Everything that we could ask for, we will be walking into.”

Acting Superintendent Klepczarek expects that by the middle of March all staff will be operational at the new station, which is on the same site of the original Queanbeyan Police Station that fronts Kings Highway on the main street of Queanbeyan.

A formal opening ceremony will occur shortly after.

The highway patrol and general duties police will work together instead of being segregated, while a state-of-the-art briefing room will ensure better communication between all sections such as detectives, forensics, crime prevention unit, drug enforcement squad, and corrective services staff who manage prisoners.

“There’s a lot of good that will come out of this building – and morale of our officers will be at the top of the list – but also the way we police will be different because we won’t be separated by levels of floors or facilities,” said Acting Superintendent Klepczarek.

“This is the first time we’ve had a police building specifically for all police, as well as some luxury features such as a gym which will encourage our officers to maintain their fitness standards.”

After taking command of Monaro Police District in September 2020, Acting Superintendent Klepczarek said he will continue to encourage the strong community ties to Queanbeyan which he said has one of the highest clearance rates for crime in the state.

“The people of Queanbeyan are very parochial and won’t tolerate high levels of crime so we’re very supportive of that and will be encouraging community groups to come for a tour of our new station.

“Here, there is a clear message that if something happens, people will speak up and that civic pride is exactly what we want to see as police officers.”

Acting Superintendent Klepczarek also praised Member for Monaro John Barilaro for his commitment to the new station during a recent inspection on the progress of the building.

Mr Barilaro said he is proud to honour a commitment made during the 2015 NSW election campaign.

“This state-of-the-art station will ensure our men and women in blue are equipped to serve and protect the Monaro community now and well into the future,” he said.

“This multimillion dollar station will not only service the Queanbeyan area, but it will also house the headquarters for Monaro Police District.

“I can’t wait for the official opening of both the new Queanbeyan Police Station and courthouse in March, as promised.”

Original Article published by Michael Weaver on The RiotACT.