Manned is better
According to the police hierarchy I have spoken to, the new Bay and Basin Police station will not be manned 24/7 as requested by the residents of the area.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The police have told me "I would rather see officers, at $100,00 per year, out patrolling the streets rather than sitting in an office".
While I can see their point, sometimes it doesn't come down to dollars and cents. Sometimes, it comes down to community expectations and what it takes to make them feel safe.
NSW Police have a program called Volunteers in Policing (VIP). Why couldn't these volunteers be used to man the front counter while on duty officers are out patrolling the streets?
They could take information or pass on messages to the patrolling cars without, the caller having to phone the station, be transferred to Nowra only to be faced with a recorded message of "press1, press 2" etc.
The public also need to be able to walk into a police station, knowing it is manned and have the opportunity of speaking to someone. It may well be an elderly resident who, knowing the station is manned, and after saying G'Day, feel safer when walking their neighbourhood, or it could be a kid who, after speaking to an officer, will come to realise that any time they have a problem they can approach a police officer or station. Who knows, that kid may grow up to become a police officer.
L. Boucher, Sanctuary Point
Hey big spender
The International Monetary Fund identified Australia’s most needlessly wasteful spending took place under the John Howard-led Coalition government. They are identified as two periods, the first 2003, at the start of the mining boom and the second Howard’s final years in office between 2005 and 2007.
The Rudd government's stimulus spending during the financial crisis doesn't rate as profligate because the spending was needed to stabilise the economy.
Backing up the IMF findings, Emily Millane, ANU research fellow, published a report labeling John Howard’s government one of the biggest spenders of all-time – an estimated $25 billion on tax cuts and concessions, and $50 billion on spending programs and cash handouts, a massive $75 billion.
And what of today? Today the economy is run by the private sector. The government is obliged to do as it is told. This while there is plenty of green spattered across the indices. When the colour turns red and there is a downturn, we are in trouble. Reliance on privatisation has denuded the government of assets and stripped Treasury of much-needed funds.
J. Macleod, Berry
Big enough now
It seems to me Ulladulla is now a fair sized town, big enough to be serviced by four supermarkets and all five banks. It also has the reputation of being a retirement area.
Yet NRMA insurance seems to believe we are still such a tinpot town not worth its while to come to an agreement with, or license, a smash repairer in the area, despite the fact there are several who do excellent work. Instead, they want us to drive to either Batemans Bay or Nowra, to one of their ‘approved’ repairers. Once to get a quote, again to drop the vehicle off, and a third time to collect it. Bear in mind that we have an older population, mostly single lane highways in both directions, with high accident rates, and high speed journeys.
This in itself might contribute to even more accidents.
Not only does it seem discriminatory to make us spend all this time and money, it also takes jobs away from our area. In fairness, the NRMA do offer a $50 taxi voucher for the drop off and pick up trips. However, the taxi fare per trip is in the vicinity of $180 to Batemans Bay, more to Nowra.