- Published:
- Wednesday 19 November 2025 at 9:00 am
| Water Police Squad members Sen Const Matthew Hall, Sen Sgt Amber Rawson and Sen Const Josef Lynas at the new Hastings berth. |
Water Police cast a wider net
Victoria Police has doubled the number of its Water Police Squad bases to improve the safety of people on the water.
New permanent locations at Hastings and Queenscliff have been added to the existing bases at Williamstown, where the squad is headquartered, and at Paynesville in the state’s east.
The squad has been launching boat patrols from both Hastings and Queenscliff on an occasional basis for a few years but a recent decision has been made to establish both as official bases.
Water Police boats now have harbour berths at both locations and the squad has been allocated office space at the police stations in Hastings and Queenscliff.
Less travel, more patrol time
Water Police Senior Sergeant Amber Rawson said the additional locations meant officers could spend much more time patrolling.
“A greater police presence out on the water has been the objective in establishing these bases,” Sen Sgt Rawson said.
“Previously, when we wanted to patrol the Bellarine Peninsula or Westernport Bay, our members would have to start the shift in Williamstown and drive a boat on a trailer to Queenscliff or to Hastings, which can take up to two hours,” Sen Sgt Rawson said.
“They’d then only have a few short hours to patrol in the boat before another two-hour trip back to Williamstown before their shift ended.
“By cutting the need for all that travel, we’ve now gained about four hours of extra patrol time to make sure everyone is safe on the water at Westernport Bay and the Bellarine Peninsula.”
Both locations have been staffed in recent months by two police officers for the morning shift and two members for the afternoon/evening shift.
| Sen Const Josef Lynas on the water at Westernport Bay. |
Expansion has immediate impacts
Water Police senior constables Matthew Hall and Josef Lynas work at Hastings and have already seen the positive impact of the permanent bases.
“A big part of what we do is safety equipment checks and before this became an official Water Police base, we would encounter a lot of non-compliant vessels and boat operators,” Sen Const Lynas said.
“It was nothing for us to give out seven or eight infringement notices each time we came down here to patrol.
“But now it has improved massively and we’re handing our far fewer infringements because everyone down here has gotten used to seeing us on the water all the time, so they all make sure their safety equipment is compliant.
“And that’s fantastic for everyone, because it’s much better for us to prevent an accident or emergency than to have to respond to one.”
Sen Const Hall said the general duties police and their bosses at Hastings Police Station were thrilled to have the added police presence.
“Any increase in police in general is a huge benefit for the area, because it’s not just marine incidents we can respond to,” Sen Const Hall said.
Since January this year, the Water Police Squad has co-ordinated and responded to about 200 marine-related incidents occurring out of Queenscliff and more 150 out of Westernport Bay.
“Putting our highly-trained people in the right place at the right time can make the difference in outcomes,” Sen Sgt Rawson said.
“We as the Water Police Squad are there to support our local police and the community when things don’t go to plan.”
Editorial and photography: Jesse Wray-McCann
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