Page welcomes extra police numbers
Member for Ballina Don Page today welcomed an additional 13 probationary police officers for the Richmond Local Area Command (LAC) and 7 new officers for the Tweed-Byron LAC.
Mr Page said the extra officers would give a more visible police presence, help reduce response times and hopefully enable more proactive policing in the area.
“These extra Richmond LAC police come after sustained lobbying from local MP’s Thomas George, Steve Cansdell and myself,” Mr Page said.
“In the Tweed-Byron LAC, Byron Bay Station will initially receive three additional officers and four will be stationed at Tweed Heads.
“The 13 probationary officers for the Richmond LAC will spend about three months in each police area of Ballina, Lismore and Casino.
“Initially Lismore will have six probationary officers, Ballina four and Casino three.
“In the second three-month session, Ballina will have six, Lismore three and Casino four.
“In the third three-month session Ballina will have three, Lismore four and Casino six.
“This will give all officers a good spread of experience and an overview of the region’s policing needs.”
Mr Page said whilst the new officers were welcome, the Richmond LAC needed to have its authorised strength increased further to reflect the relatively high level of crime in the Richmond LAC (especially assault and domestic violence and drug-related crime), and to accommodate the rapid growth in population over the past 20 years in this region.
He said the Coalition had committed itself to an extra 1100 police state-wide in addition to those being allocated from the current graduating class today.
