THE Hunter Valley Police District will receive an extra 61 officers under a Michael Daley government, according to an announcement from Country Labor Upper Hunter candidate Melanie Dagg.
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Mrs Dagg, flanked by Shadow Minister for Police Guy Zangari, said the state-wide $583 million investment would allow 1500 new officers to be hired over the next four years, increasing the overall number to almost 18,300.
Stations in Murrurundi, Muswellbrook, Scone and Singleton will also benefit from the promise, with a lack of general duty police being a common complaint among locals.
Speaking outside Muswellbrook Police Station on Tuesday, Mrs Dagg said it was a crucial topic and something the community really wanted to see addressed.
“One of the main issues that people are raising with me is a lack of policing, and there are real concerns about police numbers here on the ground,” she explained.
“We know they’re understaffed, they’re overstretched and it’s such a large regional area.
“So, due to the tyranny of distance, police just aren’t able to respond as effectively as they’d like and as effectively the community deserves.”
Those sentiments were echoed by Mr Zangari, who believes the size of the local force has remained mostly stagnate for far too long.
“It’s a step in the right direction,” he said.
“We’re happy to commit to this; we’ll give the commissioner the resources that he needs in order to make this happen.
“After eight long years, the local member hasn’t advocated for extra police resources – despite eight highway patrol officers being recently assigned to the area.
“It’s a shame because this is a growing electorate, this is a vibrant electorate.
“There’s young families coming in as well as the retirees and they need to feel protected and safe, that’s the primary concern about community safety.”
He condemned the incumbent NSW Government for spending $2.2 billion on stadiums and said the focus should be on more important issues such as domestic violence (DV).
“It’s an issue that is really pertinent to a lot of communities whether it’s north, south, east or west, certainly DV is on the rise,” he said.
“Police do a great job but the tyranny of distance makes it difficult to get out to domestic violence situations because they’re either at another call out or they’re back at the station doing what they do.
“This [announcement] ensures there are extra officers on the ground so obviously their response times are a lot better.”
Mrs Dagg, who is married with two children, said knowing there were more police in the area would give her and other members of the community more peace of mind.
“I do have a young family and I want to know when I call the police for assistance that there’s somebody there to pick up the phone and respond as quickly as possible,” she said.
“This is all about priorities and it’s clear this local member and this government don’t prioritise the safety of this community above the rebuilding of perfectly good Sydney stadiums.”
The promise is just the latest installation on an ever-increasing list of funding announcements ahead of the upcoming state election.
Both major parties are hoping to find the issue that could get them over the line, and Michael Daley’s Labor government has clearly identified public safety as one of its key talking points.