RAISING THE BARR: The next step to getting more police in Cessnock

We all have a job to do. For the community at large, please do continue to report all crime. Feeling frustrated and taking a view that you just “won’t bother” won’t help us to get more police. The reports of crime need to show that the demand for police response is far more than the availability of police.

If our police are swamped by calls then they will prioritise the work. No doubt they will place a call for domestic violence higher on the list than barking dog. We have to trust our police to do the important stuff ASAP and to leave the less important stuff a little bit longer. What this might mean for you is that your car or shed has been broken into, but the police can’t get there straight away, although they will if they possibly can. On the flip side, if you had an intruder climbing through your bathroom window then we should all expect our police to drop everything and come ASAP.

So please, let’s report, report, report and let’s show patience, trust and faith. In simple terms, we can’t expect more Police if the workload isn’t way beyond their current staffing levels.

As I have previously written in this column, sadly domestic violence is taking up more than half of the work time for every single police officer in our area. Take a stand and send a message to everyone in your circle that domestic violence is simply not on!

Oh dear, the truth about the CTP refunds is uncomfortable for some. I have been accused of telling a “lie” because I wrote in my column four weeks ago that the result of collecting less money for CTP insurance will result in less coverage for injured persons.

But here’s a question, how can you possibly collect less money, but offer more protection? It is a simple, mathematical impossibility to offer more with less!

Interestingly nobody bothered to challenge my admission to you all that the government were unfairly taking a $10 slice out of every refund, and that they were creating unnecessary hurdles between you and your money by making the process more complicated than it needed to be.

But as your local MP, here’s my guarantee – everything that I write in my column is true, accurate and defendable. I am willing to debate, anywhere, anytime and in any place the Premier or her Ministers for any claim that I make in my column

 I can’t make it any simpler than that – if you want to accuse me of misleading or not telling the truth then turn up in a local hall and let’s have the debate.