The Bay and Basin is finally going to get a new police station at Sanctuary Point but the question still remains will it be operated 24/7.
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South Coast MP Shelley Hancock, NSW Police Southern Region Commander Peter Barrie and Shoalhaven Local Area Commander Superintendent Steve Hegarty, announced the new station will be located on two blocks of land at 187 and 189 Kerry Street, Sanctuary Point.
Mrs Hancock said the construction of a police station for the Bay and Basin community was an election commitment in 2015 with $5 million secured for its construction.
It will be a fully operational police station with its own inspector as the officer in charge to serve the local community and provide opportunities to co-ordinate resources across the broader bay area, including more officers on the beat, but there has been no commitment for a 24/7 operation.
Shoalhaven City Councillor Bob Proudfoot, who has called a number of community meetings regarding crime in the Bay and Basin area, said it was a “fantastic result” but questioned if the planned station would be big enough to cater for 24/7.
“It’s a great location but one concern I do have is if in the possible future it becomes a 24/7 station whether that site could sustain a station of that size,” he said.
“Certainly the community will say thank you but we have been looking for a far greater police presence in the Sanctuary Point area. Over the years Sanctuary Point and St Georges Basin have been hotspots for police.
“The community has cried out for community-styled policing. Local police interacting in the local community, gathering intelligence, working hard to prevent crime, rather than reacting.”
He said the only word he have heard about policing numbers and if the station would be open 24/7 was it was up to the police commissioner.
“They say he [the commissioner] will look at the statistics to make a decision which is always worry to us,” Mr Proudfoot said.
A fantastic result...a great location.
- Shoalhaven City Councillor Bob Proudfoot
“We have long believed statistics to be a bit rubbery. Lots of crime in the Basin area goes unreported.
“People have either given up or are intimidated into not reporting crime in case the person finds out it was them who made the report.
“I don’t trust statistics and hope they go on more than that, like community intelligence.”
He said a lot of the crime in the area was drug related and again called on greater policing numbers in the region.
“The Parsons Report, which was commissioned by then NSW Police Minister Mike Gallacher, said areas like Sanctuary Point need to be treated differently, differently than normal,” Mr Proudfoot said.
“We have always supported the findings of that report.”
Long time advocate for the Bay and Basin police station Les Boucher said the announcement was “great news” but was “about bloody time”.
“It is great news and while I appreciate the hard work Shelley Hancock has put in, I’m afraid it’s just taken too long,” he said.
“I and many other people have been on about this for 12 years. It’s just too long for it to drag on.
“If I was a cynical person and I know I’m not, but is it coincidental the building will start next year and be finished by the end of 2018 and there is an election in March the following year?”
Great news but about bloody time.
- Long time Bay and Basin police station advocate Les Boucher
While also calling for a 24/7 operation Mr Boucher said news more police were going to be out on the beat was welcomed.
“There was no mention of 24/7, police want more officers out on the beat and not in the station,” he said.
“We are told there will be an increase of officers including an inspector based in the area so it sounds like they might become 24/7.
“I’m willing to give them a go and see if the new plan works or makes a difference.
“If it doesn’t they won’t shut me or other people up about 24/7.
“I will keep on their back but I’m willing to give them a chance.”
Mrs Hancock said the Bay and Basin Police Station had been her number one priority.
“We needed to ensure we got the location right,” she said “we have now taken the next step to deliver on this commitment,” she said.
“I am thrilled the sale of the land has been finalised and we can now begin the planning phase for this much needed police station, which will provide a real boost to community safety.
The Bay and Basin Police Station had been my number one priority.
- South Coast MP Shelley Hancock.
“It has been a long community campaign, which unfortunately had a number of disappointing and unavoidable setbacks, however this is a massive win for the Sanctuary Point community.”
Mrs Hancock said Sanctuary Point would now have a constant police presence in the heart of the community with local police having a more centralised location to serve the residents of Bay and Basin.
“I have been the strongest advocate of this project from the very beginning and although the process has taken longer than we had hoped, I am pleased we have now progressed with the purchase of a suitable site selected by the NSW Police Force to build the new station,” she said.
“The site meets all of NSW Police’s requirements and will provide them with the perfect place to build a world-class facility for policing in the Shoalhaven.
“We have also thought longer term, ensuring that this site will meet policing demands not just now, but well into the future, with the large site allowing for further expansion if required.”
Assistant Commissioner Peter Barrie said the new Bay and Basin Police Station would be a pivotal point in the establishment of the new police districts in regional NSW.
“It will be a fully operational police station with its own inspector as the officer in charge,” Assistant Commissioner Barrie said.
“It will also have the latest technology and provide working areas for visiting highway patrol officers and detectives.”
Shoalhaven Local Area Commander, Superintendent Steve Hegarty, welcomed the new police station which he said would be a key asset for the community.
“This facility will allow us to conduct modern-style policing, will have charge facilities and the ability to process drink and drug drivers,” Supt Hegarty said.
“It will also see the first locally-based inspector for the area under the new officer-in-charge model who will work closely with the local community.”