ASSISTANT Police commissioner Ian Parrott has praised Limestone Coast police for its efforts adapting to the dynamic environment created by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The high-ranking state officer visited the region this week to review police activities and inspect border checkpoints set up across the region.
Speaking to The Border Watch yesterday, Ass Comm Parrott said he was pleased with the management of the checking stations since they were put in place in late March.
“I have been really impressed with the way the local police have been managing the border checking stations,” Ass Comm Parrott said.
“I think that after some initial confusion among community members, there is a pretty clear message now about what we are trying to do and why we are trying to do it.”
Labelling it one part of a jigsaw puzzle in the COVID19 response, Ass Comm Parrott said the police presence had evolved and changed from day to day.
“As we have experienced along the way, it’s a very dynamic environment, things can change quite rapidly,” he said.
“Just recently, we have enhanced our static checking stations and also our mobile checking patrols.”
Admitting there had been challenges along the way, he said the enhanced mobile response had allowed police to detect people trying to avoid the static stations.
“We know there are concerns within the community about back roads and ways people could potentially dodge a checkpoint, but we have quite a number of resources specifically dedicated in areas where we know people might try and sneak through,” he said.
“What we are finding is that we are picking up a few, but by and large people are compliant.”
He extended his appreciation to the community for playing its role to help stop the spread by following the statewide emergency directions put in place.
“While I was standing out there yesterday at various sites, there were community members stopping and thanking our police for what they are doing and we certainly appreciate that,” he said.
“It is an enforcement piece, but it is also an education piece for the community to play our part in carrying the messages from SA Health about what is safe and how we can protect ourselves.
“It really is about people continuing to do the right thing and I am glad we have seen people generally doing that across the board.”
