A PERMANENT police officer stationed at Kalangadoo is not particularly useful to the community according to the region’s most senior police officer, who believes mobile policing is a more effective method.
Limestone Coast Police officer in charge Superintendent Phil Hoff addressed Grant District Council on Monday night revealing his vision for policing in the region.
Responding to a question on the floor about staffing the Kalangadoo Police Station, which has been without an officer since January 2017, Supt Hoff said modern policing was predicated on a proactive approach.
“Having someone in a police station is not particularly useful to the community,” he said.
“We do not have the latitude I once did of being able to go out and find things to do, they are actually going the whole time.
“The reality of policing these days is each time my patrols leave the base … they are actually doing something.
“I do not ever want them in the base.”
The purpose-built Kalangadoo station and residential home has been vacant for more than three years after the town’s sole police officer was placed on leave.
Before the 2018 state election, then Shadow Police Minister Stephan Knoll committed to retaining a permanent police officer in Kalangadoo.
Police Minister Corey Wingard has sinced claimed he does not have the authority to reopen the station and is currently awaiting the completion of a statewide review – which has been under way since 2018 before a decision is made.
However, Supt Hoff said he would prefer additional resources at the Millicent or Penola stations ahead of a sole officer at Kalangadoo.
“Some of these police stations were put where they were when people travelled by horse,” he said. “(Police stations) are now in places of strategic importance because the distance can be covered far more quickly in the car.
“If it was up to me – and it’s not – but if it was up to me, I would have three people at Penola so I could provide greater coverage of operational policing in the district.
“That would actually provide people in Kalangadoo far greater service than having one person at Kalangadoo.
“This is a political decision and that’s why I am not the decision maker in it.”
Supt Hoff said the Limestone Coast Local Service Area had the fourth largest footprint in the state, encompassed 20pc of the population, but had the second lowest number of police officers in South Australia.
“I only have 111 sworn officers across the local service area,” he said.
“That makes our population to police ratio around 600 to one.
“Like everyone, we play a numbers game and I have to balance what I have got to deliver services.”
Councillor Shirley Little said historically, the Kalangadoo police officer provided services to outlying areas including Tarpeena and Nangwarry.
“The police in Kalangadoo were often in the Tarpeena area,” she said.
“It is a big area and I feel the Penola police does not come as quickly.
“I was in need of a police officer a few Friday nights ago and it seems to take forever to get there.”
Supt Hoff acknowledged Cr Little’s concerns, but said data would likely indicate a low demand for police in the area.
“We have about 12pc of the crime and 20pc of the population, which makes it really hard for me to justify more police resources,” he said.
“Out of the crime I do experience each year, about 50pc comes from 5290 – the greater township of Mount Gambier itself – and that’s why I have a greater concentration of police for more people.
“ If I crunched the raw numbers, there is not a huge demand in the area.”
