Gunnedah Shire Council Mayor, Jamie Chaffey, is calling for action to halt a “crime surge” across north-western NSW.
Mayor Chaffey (pictured) says Gunnedah is among a number of Shires experiencing a worrying sustained rise in criminal offences, including car theft and break and enters, with perpetrators becoming more and more brazen.
“I know our police are working hard to combat this crime surge and are absolutely focussed on tackling the situation,” he said.
“But I am calling on the Police Minister to help our community and our valued police officers. We need 24-hour policing. We have a new station designed for the purpose and we need the staffing levels to make this happen – as soon as possible.”
He said 2021 Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research (BOSCAR) figures show a collection of crime hotspots across the region.
“Last year, Gunnedah Shire’s rate of car theft was 323 per 100,000 population, that’s 2.5 times higher than the statewide rate of 128 per 100,000. That is worrying enough, but this year has seen a huge leap in crime.”
“While the official figures are not yet available, anecdotally we are hearing of a car theft every other day. Perpetrators are stealing and breaking and entering any time of the day or night, and are actively seeking out police pursuits. If this continues, we will see a 200-300% increase in our already high car theft rates.
“Our community is very concerned. We need to feel safe in our homes, our streets and our businesses. In feedback to our consultation on Council’s review of our Community Strategic Plan, residents have told us that they do not feel safe in their own homes.”
Mayor Chaffey said many other neighbouring shires were facing a similar situation.
“We are calling on people to lock up, to watch out for and report criminal behaviour, to look after themselves and their neighbours.”