INCREASES in stock theft and hoon driving have been attributed to the removal of Kalangadoo’s sole police officer, with community members calling for the position to be immediately reinstated.
Around 20 residents attended a public meeting staged by Shadow Police Minister Lee Odenwalder and Labor MLC Clare Scriven to discuss implications around the closure of the Kalangadoo Police Station.
Residents raised concerns around a perceived increase in rural crime, including livestock theft, reckless driving and illicit drug use.
Kalangadoo resident Debbie Gunther said the lack of a permanent police presence in the community resulted in a spike in incidents at her primary production-based property.
“Since our policeman has left here, we have lost more stock because people jump the fence and help themselves to the sheep,” she said.
“A couple of years ago we had a cow killed and someone just hacked of the back leg and left the rest of the carcass in the paddock.
“It took us three days to get a police officer to look at that one.
“Obviously they are busy and obviously it is not a life or death situation and they have other things to attend to and I appreciate that, but it still affects us.
“We had a tank stolen about two and a half years ago out at our farm and the first thing they did was bring the drug squad down because they said normally when tanks go missing, they are looking for water.”
Ms Gunther spoke of the increase of visible burnout marks around the town while claiming “we have never, ever had trouble here before”.
“You only have to look at the road to Nangwarry and up the side alleys to see how the hoons are frequenting the areas,” she said.
“Even down our street which is a 60kph zone and some of the cars go past there are doing 80 before they even get out of the zone.
“At the end of the day we are taxpayers and regardless of whether we are a town of 200 or 200,000, we deserve services.”
Mr Odenwalder, a former police officer, stressed he supported the Police Commissioner making decisions on policing matters, but said there was some “disingenuity” around the capabilities of Police Minister Corey Wingard.
“The decisions made about policing are and rightly should be, are decisions made by the Police Commissioner,” he said.
“He or she has all the evidence at their disposal.
“But I think if he has not been down here himself, or if he has not sent anyone down, then I will certainly make it clear to him and the minister what the community’s views are.”
He raised comparisons with the State Government’s involvement in extending the opening hours of three metropolitan stations but withholding on the Liberals’ pre-election pledge for Kalangadoo.
“Before the election, the then opposition made some pretty big claims about what they can do with police officers,” he said.
“They bent over backwards to extend the city station hours, they threw loads of resources at it and they stayed open.
“They did it in the city, but they are not doing it in the country.”
Although Member for MacKillop Nick McBride was unable to attend the event, he was represented by a staff member who told the crowd he had written “numerous” letters to Mr Wingard about policing in the electorate.
Mr McBride’s staff member said the minister was yet to respond to the correspondence.
