Police noticed a 'frightening' increase in drug drivers during the holiday season [December 2018 - January 2019) in Diamond Valley.News article 1 page, black text.drug drivers, diamond valley, ashley hodges, greensborough police

Newspaper clipping - The article describes Maroondah Secondary College becoming the first secondary school in Victoria to run the Police Involvement in Schools Program, previously used only in primary schools. Trudy Spittle, the school’s student welfare and program co‑ordinator, explains that having police officers regularly on campus has made students feel more comfortable approaching them, while also giving officers valuable experience working with adolescents. Three police officers — Senior Constable John Neilson (Knox Police), Julie Simpson (Mooroolbark), and Jeanette Berriman (Belgrave) — visit the school every second Thursday to work with middle‑school students on pre‑driver education and health topics. As part of this, officers from the Knox traffic operations group demonstrated radar equipment and discussed braking distances for cars and motorbikes. A photo shows Senior Constable Graeme Rust presenting a radar gun to Year 10 students Andrew, Lauren, Mark, and Katy. Throughout the year, officers will also cover drug education, harassment, and legal issues. Spittle says the program’s main aim is to break down communication barriers between students and police, and that it is already proving highly successful. (Co-pilot summary 8/8/2026)Caption "New toy" (Showing the radar gun)