Residents there are still angry about what they say is a broken promise made before the last state election to establish a 24-hour police station at Sanctuary Point.

Mrs Hancock steadfastly denies such a commitment was made but residents are adamant it was. Whatever the case, it will be difficult for the local MP to cut through the perception that Bay and Basin voters were misled about the Coalition’s intention to beef up policing in the neighbourhood.

However, before voicing their anger at the ballot box, voters should remember that the Labor Party has not made a commitment to establish a police station in the area, even though its candidate Fiona Phillips has said she would lobby vigorously for it. Lobbying and delivering are two very different things and in the extremely unlikely event it regained office in NSW, Labor would be faced with the same budgetary restrictions that the current government blames for not being able to build and staff a Bay and Basin police station.

Should the seat become marginal, then the pressure will build on the government in its next term to ramp up policing in the area, whether that’s with a new station or much more frequent and visible patrols. 

And a seat that’s unsafe for the incumbent politician will become safer for the residents.