ALMOST 200 new police will hit the beat this week after graduating from Goulburn on Friday, but barely 1 per cent of them will come to the Hunter.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Newcastle command will receive two officers while Port Stephens, Central Hunter, Hunter Valley, Lake Macquarie and Manning Great Lakes police commands will miss out completely on new blood.
Two officers will head to the Tuggerah Lakes command, spanning the Central Coast and southern parts of Lake Macquarie.
Member for Wyong, David Harris (Labor), said the allocation highlighted the gulf between police commands in Sydney and regional NSW.
“Of course we welcome any additional resources, but given the population growth in the Tuggerah Lakes LAC, we are still grossly under resourced,” Mr Harris said.
“We have been calling for additional police resources for a number of years.
“Our police in Tuggerah Lakes Command have been punching above their weight for a long time and its time the government recognised this while providing resourcing equal to similar commands in Sydney.”
Five officers will head to the Tweed/Byron command and a dozen to Sydney’s northern beaches, with 11 allocated to Sydney City.
Cessnock MP Clayton Barr said he was concerned resources went to other areas based on population growth rather than crime rates. He said a coming restructure could improve future allocations for the region.
Wallsend MP Sonia Hornery said the allocation showed cries for more police in the region had been ignored. “This allocation shows this government’s lack of interest in law and order in the Hunter,” she said.
Matt Carr
Matt began his Newcastle Herald career as a cadet in 2009. He is a Walkley nominated reporter who has covered councils, police and general news rounds across the Upper Hunter, Port Stephens, Maitland, Lake Macquarie, Cessnock and Newcastle. Now his focus is on digital storytelling and breaking news.
Matt began his Newcastle Herald career as a cadet in 2009. He is a Walkley nominated reporter who has covered councils, police and general news rounds across the Upper Hunter, Port Stephens, Maitland, Lake Macquarie, Cessnock and Newcastle. Now his focus is on digital storytelling and breaking news.
