THE Brimbank Family Violence Unit has shut down, amid claims there are not enough police to run it.

The specialised unit, which has been operating out of the Keilor Downs Police Station for more than three years, was closed last week and its officers returned to normal duties in a controversial shake-up of Brimbank’s policing structure.

The decision has devastated family violence workers, who say the service is desperately needed in the municipality, which has one of the highest reported rates of family violence in the state.

In 2008-2009, police responded to more than 1300 family violence incidents in Brimbank.

Women’s Health West family violence regional co-ordinator Maureen Smith said family violence workers were reeling from the news.

“This closure will have a huge impact on women and children living with violence in the Brimbank area,” Ms Smith said.

“The unit not only meant better outcomes for women and children, they also worked to prevent further incidents occurring.”

Western Metropolitan MP Bernie Finn labelled the decision as outrageous.

“I would have thought this service would have been a major priority to Brimbank and it concerns me greatly that it’s been closed,” he said.

“This will cause enormous difficulty for a lot of people and could even lead to tragedy.”

But Brimbank Police Inspector Michael Grainger defended the move, claiming the decision would lead to better outcomes for local families.

Insp Grainger denied the unit was being disbanded but confirmed that its officers would be placed back on the normal roster.

“Disband is not a word I’d use,” Insp Grainger said.

“What we’re looking to do is to put our family violence experts back onto a standard roster so they can share their knowledge with other police members.”

“It’s about improving our response in the long term. This is in no way going to diminish our response to family violence.”

When asked whether the decision was motivated by a lack of police resources, Insp Grainger declined to comment.

The specialist response unit was launched in October 2006 and was the first initiative of its kind in Victoria.

Insp Grainger said the situation would be reviewed next month.