POLICE are taking their push for more local resources to the streets, in a bid to get more than two dozen new officers in the Oxley force.
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After more than a month of campaigning, the Tamworth branch of the Police Association of NSW will set-up shop in the Fitzroy Street mall on Thursday to get the community to back their push for more boots in Tamworth and the wider Oxley Police District.
“There are areas that are in need of drastic assistance in terms of police numbers, like the child protection register where one police officer to 30 offenders being managed, is the ratio the association is calling for,” PANSW executive member Jeff Budd said.
“We need four cops here in Tamworth to manage the district.
“RES [the regional enforcement squad] has to be increased to handle the ice issues, because virtually every crime in town is connected in some way to ice.
“From murders down to property crime, we know there are links.”
Between midday and 2pm on Thursday, association members will be meeting and greeting locals in the street to talk about local crime issues, their experiences and urging them to back the blue and sign a statewide petition to get more cops on the beat.
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All Tamworth councillors, along with Tamworth MP Kevin Anderson and his political opponents, Shooters and Farmer’s candidate, Jeff Bacon, and Labor candidate Stephen Mears, have all been invited to come down and sign the petition.
Retired police, off-duty officers along with association members will also be on hand to talk to locals.
“It’s an opportunity for the community to speak about the policing numbers in Tamworth,” Mr Budd said.
“It’s about putting the resources in the community to make a safe city and environment, this is a community issue.”
The statewide petition, which is also online, is calling for 2,500 more police in NSW, and the association wants to see at least 25 more in Tamworth.
“If the community want better policing, better resources, we need them to tell these candidates and the local MP what they want, and sign the petition,” Mr Budd said.
Breanna Chillingworth
Northern Daily Leader Senior Crime and Court Reporter
Northern Daily Leader Senior Crime and Court Reporter
