Police members were deployed in increased numbers across the state to ensure the safety of the many people who turned out to pay tribute to our former and currently serving military personnel.  

It was very important that the community was able to pay their respects in the knowledge that the police had done all they could to ensure their safety.

On Tuesday evening I attended the launch of the Leadership Victoria – New and Emerging Communities Leadership Program, which is being conducted in Bendigo. 

Present at the launch were young leaders living in Bendigo from 15 culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds. 

The program provides an opportunity for potential and current leaders from new and emerging communities across Victoria to build their leadership skills and capacity in order to contribute to community development. 

The program will certainly have future benefits for Bendigo and the surrounding area as these young people develop their leaderships skills.  

Last week the Bendigo Liquor Accord had their first meeting for the year. 

The accord is a partnership between licensees, the Bendigo Safe Community Forum, the Victorian Commission for Gaming and Liquor Regulation and Victoria Police.   

The accord encourages ethical conduct of licensees and promotes best liquor industry practices in all licensed premises within the municipality.

By becoming a signatory to the accord the participating licensees have agreed to develop acceptable practices with regard to the responsible management of alcohol. 

An objective of the Bendigo Liquor Accord is to build partnerships between the community, community leaders, government agencies, the police and licensees. 

It was encouraging to see the many licensees from various liquor outlets including bars, restaurants, clubs, hotels and late night venues at the meeting. 

I have a dedicated police unit that patrols in and around the city’s hotels and late night venues usually on a Friday and Saturday night. 

Sergeant Joel Smith leads the team, which has been very effective in dealing with public order issues in the CBD.

The central business district of Bendigo is a great place to visit with its many bars, restaurants and hotels. 

It is my job to ensure that people can enjoy their outings into town safely and without being harassed. 

Unfortunately this is not always the case, with police having to arrest a number of drunks over the past couple of weeks. 

Police will continue to police the liquor industry to ensure licensees are complying with the conditions of their licenses and are adhering to the principles of responsible service of alcohol. 

Police will also be targeting drunkenness and anti-social behaviour. 

People arrested for drunkenness will receive a $590.00 on-the-spot fine, and those who want to cause problems in and around licensed premises could find themselves banned from entering licensed premises across the city.