Member for Tweed Geoff Provest has been appointed Parliamentary Secretary for Police and Emergency Services, NSW Premier Barry O’Farrell and Deputy Premier Andrew Stoner announced last week.
“Geoff Provest has been a strong advocate of law and order issues since entering Parliament in 2007,” Mr O’Farrell said.
“Working alongside the Minister for Police and Emergency Services Mike Gallacher, Geoff will play a key role in ensuring Police are given the powers, the resources and the backing they need to keep our community safe.”
Mr Stoner said Mr Provest brings a unique understanding of policing issues in regional NSW to the job.
“Ever since he won the seat of Tweed from the Labor incumbent at the March 2007 election, Geoff Provest has been an energetic champion of law and order issues in his community,” Mr Stoner said.
“Geoff has on-the-ground experience with community safety and crime prevention, having served as Chair of the Tweed Neighbourhood Watch.
“This experience will stand him in good stead as the NSW Government trials ‘Project Eyewatch’, an online community policing concept that uses Facebook to combat crime and engage with the community at a local level.
“Geoff will represent the Minister for Police and Emergency Services Mike Gallacher at public events, meet with stakeholders and members of the public and help shape further Government policy in this area.
“He becomes Parliamentary Secretary for Police and Emergency Services at an important time, as the NSW Government completes an audit of Police resources which will help us plan for future policing requirements across NSW.
“This audit is an important first step in righting Labor’s wrongs, giving us a clear picture of where Police are, where they need to be, and how best to use them to protect and serve our communities.”
Last month, he told media outlets that almost a quarter of the 160 officers in his local Tweed-Byron Command were on long-term sick leave.
Mr Provest said that was not an isolated case.
“It’s not only there in the Tweed, it is in many other coastal electorates and also western electorates and I think I’ll just work as part of the team within the Police Minister’s office to ensure there’s a fair and equitable outcome,” he said.
