THE NSW Police Force is currently undertaking a review of the state’s regional policing command structure.
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Among the proposals under consideration is the splitting of the Hunter Valley LAC in two, with Scone and surrounds to be absorbed by the Tamworth-based Oxley command.
The other half would be taken in by the Maitland-based Central Hunter.
Upper Hunter and Muswellbrook Shire councils on Friday called upon the NSW Government to retain the Hunter Valley Local Area Command (LAC) and its headquarters in Muswellbrook.
“The communities of the Upper Hunter and Muswellbrook shires are very closely connected,” Upper Hunter mayor Wayne Bedggood said.
“We share common natural boundaries and a well-integrated road network.
“Splitting the command will fragment these commonalities and put at risk issues such as response time to emergencies and emergency management in general.”
The two councils share resources in times of emergency and the NSW Police have an absolutely critical role in emergency management during those times.
“We have had a close and enormously beneficial working relationship with the Hunter Valley Local Area Command over a long period of time,” Muswellbrook Shire mayor Martin Rush said.
“We have been involved in joint initiatives to combat a range of anti-social behaviour and crime.”
Those initiatives have included a range of rural specific issues such as stock theft, search and rescue in National Parks, graffiti management and alcohol management – through an Upper Hunter Liquor Accord (across the whole Upper Hunter).
The two councils coordinate, as an Upper Hunter Region, with the LAC and other Upper Hunter State agencies, issues around health, family violence and social inclusion – taking a whole-of-government approach to dealing with these issues in the Upper Hunter.
“I am reassured by the comments of the Police Minister (Troy Grant) who has indicated that it is ‘very highly unlikely that such a move will take place’,” Cr Bedggood said.
“While a review of regional command structures for the NSW Police continues, it does not remove the fact that police numbers in the Hunter Valley command are still at least 10 officers short.
“Any review of policing in the Upper Hunter must reaffirm the need for additional police numbers to ensure that our communities meet the benchmark set for regional policing across New South Wales.”
“For instance, the Hunter Valley LAC remains the only non-coastal regional command without a Rural Crime Investigator,” Cr Rush added.
Both councils urged their communities to report instances of criminal activity to ensure that crime statistics properly reflect the situation on the ground and which will support the need for additional police resources for the region.
