Police flock to regional areas as part of scheme to tackle crime waves

In the past 12 months more than 100 police officers have transferred to communities hit hardest by the regional crime wave, as part of a paid incentive scheme.

More than 100 cops have transferred to regional postings in the past 12 months but locals communities from the coast to the bush say they need more police officers on the ground to stop the break-ins, car thefts and robberies.

The Sunday Telegraph can reveal 114 police officers have transferred to regional stations as part of a paid incentive scheme designed to bring more cops to regional and rural areas.

Since July 1 last year, the officers have transferred to some of communities hardest hit by the regional crime wave including Walgett, Bourke and Broken Hill – but there are still more than 2000 police vacancies across the state.

Police Minister Yasmin Catley acknowledged regional communities were dealing with some “real concerns” about crime but said she was dedicated to making improvements.

More than 100 police officers have transferred to regional postings in the last year. Picture: Thomas Lisson

“The NSW government knows how overstretched and exhausted our police are in every command,” she said.

“The NSW Police Force has received more than 1813 applications to train as a police officer since we announced our first recruitment initiative on October 31 last year, a 50 per cent increase on the same period last year.”

But locals from Wellington in the west all the way to Sanctuary Point on the state’s south coast say more needs to be done to stop the crims tearing up their towns.

After 22 years in Nowra, Peter Loveday, who is in his 70s, sold his beloved home this year and moved out of town – “fed-up” with a string of break-ins.

Locals and business owners in regional communities are fed up with rampant crime. Picture: Hannah Hodgkinson

The final straw came in November, when he woke at 4am to what he thought was his computer screen flashing – instead it was an intruder, disguised in a mask and armed with a meat cleaver taken from Mr Loveday’s shed.

Mr Loveday screamed at the intruder to leave, only realising how serious the incident could have been in the weeks and months following.

“I was terrified,” he said.

“I saw that cleaver and I thought about what could have happened.”

His wife had died just three months prior and the thief took off with all of her jewellery.

“It just devastated me,” Mr Loveday said. “Even though I’ve moved I’m like a meerkat, every noise I jolt awake. It’s really affected me.

Nowra cake shop owner Alison Dempsey recently had two vehicles vandalised in the space of a few weeks and said a small minority of teen thugs were making life tough for locals.

Cake shop owner Alison Dempsey is tired of the crime in Nowra after having two of her cars smashed up and vandalised. Picture: Jane Dempster/The Daily Telegraph.

“It’s disgusting, I want to move,” she said.

“You work hard and people do this because they think it’s funny.

“The police do their best but their hands are tied – these kids get off with cautions or a slap on the wrist in the courts and then they do it again.

“It’s out of control.”

Less than 30 minutes away at Sanctuary Point, locals have called for the new police station to be manned 24/7.

According to the latest statistics from the Bureau of Crime Research and Statistics, property offences in the Shoalhaven and Southern Highlands have jumped 31.5 per cent over the past two years.

Two-year trends show motor vehicle theft is also up, as well as break and enters.

Digby Hughes has lived in the community for three years, and has taken up the task of establishing a Neighbourhood Watch.

Sanctuary Point resident Digby Hughes speaking to Chief Inspector Nick Hallett about getting the areas neighbourhood watch up and running. Picture: Jane Dempster/The Daily Telegraph.

“The local police are fantastic, there just aren’t enough of them,” he said. “The crime we are seeing is opportunistic, but that could change with a greater presence.

“I know what time the police finish up every day, so I’m sure the small minority doing the wrong thing do too.”

Shoalhaven City councillor Paul Ell backed Mr Hughes’ push for a 24-hour station, saying the police presence needed to be greater in several south coast communities.

“There are a lot of older people and vulnerable people in these communities who deserve to feel safe,” he said.

An analysis of NSW Police data by the state’s Police Association shows that only 14 per cent of police stations in regional areas are staffed 24 hours a day, while 90 per cent are staffed around the clock in metropolitan areas.

Sanctuary Point resident Digby Hughes is getting the areas neighbourhood watch up and running. Picture: Jane Dempster/The Daily Telegraph.

In Wellington, statistics show good police work has brought down crime rates, but locals say they feel “isolated and unprotected” without a 24-hour station.

Dowto’s Family Meats butcher Rodney Dowton said his business had been broken into multiple times. “Because we haven’t got a 24-hour station here, there’s no one here,” he said. “I rang police and they said they’ll be here in 25 minutes and they took over an hour to get here, so in that time frame [the offenders] know they have enough time to run amok.”

Orana Midwestern Police District Inspector Paul Stephens said while a 24-hour station would have benefits, the current workload would not support the transition.

Rodney Dowton from Dowto's Family Meats says his business has been broken into multiple times. Picture: Hannah Hodgkinson

He said Wellington’s crime rates were in a “good place” compared to some time ago, crediting proactive policing and targeted police operations.

However, Dubbo councillor Jessica Gough said there were not enough cops in town.

“The police are saying they’re fully resourced, but it feels like there’s not enough resources,” she said. “The statistics aren’t really reflective of what’s going on, because people in Wellington get so jack shit of reporting things and nothing happening because they [police] aren’t there.”

Originally published as Police flock to regional areas as part of scheme to tackle crime waves