The Parsons’ Review into Policing in NSW has broken some long standing deadlocks with the recommendation welcomed by Member for Northern Tablelands Richard Torbay.
He said boosting police numbers in country areas and transferring prisoner escort duties to Correctional Services or private security guards were long-sought reforms.
“The Police Minister is backing the report and there will be a sigh of relief from hard-pressed local area commands in the regions,” he said.
“There is still detail to come on structural changes and we will have to look at those carefully to ensure they represent beneficial reform.
“But on several critical issues the report delivers a blueprint for changes country police and communities have been seeking for a long time.”
Mr Torbay said officers from the New England Local Area Command (NELAC) had spent 24,000 hours travelling 120,000kms a year on prisoner escort duties.
The allocation of 16 probationary constables, due to start duties with NELAC this week, marked a good start to boosting numbers for country policing, he said.
