THE push to bolster police resources in the bush and boost numbers is gaining momentum with local police calling for a dog squad to be moved to Moree.
The Moree branch of the Police Association of NSW has united once again with several new members and is pushing for more than a dozen more police to be deployed in its region.
For years the town has boasted high crime rates and often ranks in the top five hot spots for ice use, domestic violence and break-and-enters.
“We’re calling for the dog unit to be based full-time in Moree,” branch chair Jarrod Cutler told The Leader.
“The dog will help with a lot of tracking, and our offenders seem to do a lot of running from police.
“Having the tracking dog here will be a better resource and provide a massive response for police.”
The dog squad is based in Tamworth and is rostered, or called, to respond to urgent jobs across the Oxley and New England districts, covering an area from Willow Tree to Pilliga, Mungindi and up to Tenterfield and the Queensland border.
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New branch chair Mr Cutler said officers were banding with the statewide staffing campaign and at least 18 officers were needed to combat some of the crime issues across the Moree district.
“That would allow us to have two car crews running at night which would help to create a safer community and allow officers to better respond to call-outs and jobs a lot quicker,” he said.
“Having an extra 18 staff will enable police to provide better investigation of jobs and incidents and expand the coverage to the rural sectors to push those sector police back out to those areas like Pallamallawa, Garah, Boomi and those places.”
The Tamworth branch is calling for 25 new police to be stationed in the city, while the Armidale arm of the association wants prisoner escorts abandoned and the duty moved to Corrective Services.
A statewide petition is calling for 2,500 more police across NSW.
Breanna Chillingworth
Northern Daily Leader Senior Crime and Court Reporter
Northern Daily Leader Senior Crime and Court Reporter
