There are fears regional areas in NSW, including the Mid North Coast, will lose local police commands following a recent announcement from NSW Police.
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On Friday, October 6, the NSW Police Force announced the consolidation of 42 Sydney metropolitan local area commands into 32 new commands.
This is part of the NSW Police Force re-engineering operation.
The Port Macquarie News understands that Kempsey and Port Macquarie police commands have not yet been briefed on how the NSW police restructure is going to affect them. A spokesperson for Oxley member Melinda Pavey also said they have not been briefed.
The Public Service Association (PSA) issued a statement voicing concerns that many regional areas will be stripped of their local police area command under the new structure.
“Particularly concerning to public safety is word of the proposed amalgamation of 11 regional Local Area Commands into just seven,” the association said in a statement.
Acting PSA general secretary, Troy Wright said, “We are concerned about the loss of critical civilian support staff who ensure police are properly equipped to be able to undertake the full range of their duties on behalf of their local communities.
“Workers across the state will be affected including counter staff at Police stations, Forensics officers, Intelligence analysts who track crime patterns and Community Liaison officers. Job cuts in regional areas mean less money going into the local community,” Mr Wright said.
“The National Party must speak up against these cuts and reassure that police will still have the vital support that allows them to get out of the office and fully serve their communities.”
