16/12/2011

20 new cops for Tweed/Byron area

“…will make a huge difference locally…”

Tweed Nationals MP and Parliamentary Secretary for Police Geoff Provest was on hand the NSW Police Academy in Goulburn on Friday to welcome the 20 new probationary constables who have been allocated to the Tweed Byron Local Area Command.

“The Tweed and other regional areas are finally beginning to catch up with Sydney in terms of police numbers,” Mr Provest said.

“Twenty extra officers will make a huge difference locally and is a great start towards having our fair share.”

Mr Provest said he was particularly pleased the Government had not waited for the outcome of the Parsons Review of police allocations before deciding to favour regional areas.

“More than 300 of the 500 new officers are going to regional NSW even though we make up only about a third of the State’s population,” Mr Provest said.

“This is an important step forward because until now there has only been one officer for every 700 residents in regional NSW, compared to one for every 500 Sydneysiders.”

In its first State Budget in September, the O’Farrell-Stoner Government allocated a record $3 billion for the NSW Police Force in order to increase numbers by more than 500 officers.