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The Tenterfield community needs to report all crime or risk having its police numbers reduced, new police sergeant James Boaden told Tenterfield Shire councillors at their meeting on August 23.
The topic arose after Councillor John Macnish raised the issue of the police station often being unmanned, with phone calls diverted and visitors required to reach the Armidale station via a call button. Cr Macnish would like to see the reinstallation of the clerical officer position transferred to Armidale some years ago.
Sgt Boaden said he would investigate and he wished the current situation was different, but officers are always available although they may not be at the station. He also said Tenterfield is not alone in this dilemma.
The situation is not helped by new workplace health and safety regulations which disallow officers working alone after dark, leading to staffing restrictions and, incidentally, the demise of many one-man stations.
Sgt Boaden urged all incidents to be reported so that they enter the Computer-Aided Despatch system, as staffing levels are determined statistically. Mayor Peter Petty noted that the nearest 24-hour police station is Casino, reflecting its higher crime rate and not wishing that solution on Tenterfield.
In his travels Sgt Boaden often hears farmers and others talk about incidents of trespassing or having items stolen from vehicles, but when he asks if they’ve been reported he finds they haven’t.
“Please ring and log incidents as a job,” Sgt Boaden said.
Cr Macnish noted the irony of the Catch-22 situation where incidents aren’t being reported due to the difficulty of reaching the local station, potentially resulting in the likelihood of even greater difficulty due to reduced staff numbers.
Sgt Boaden for one isn’t planning on going anywhere soon, assuring councillors he’s not here for just six months or two or three years until the next posting.
“I’ve just bought a house and want you guys to know I’m not going to rack off in six months,” he said.
The rest of the family has just arrived from the last posting in Lake Cargelligo, with four chooks, eight budgies and two kids in the car for the long haul. While Sgt Boaden was impressed by the lack of tall fences in his new neighbourhood in comparison to that of Lake Cargelligo, sadly the hens were attacked overnight, reducing the egg supply to one layer.
Hopefully the incident was reported.