PSA media release

The Public Service Association (PSA) holds grave fears many regional areas will be stripped of their local police area command under a Government restructure of NSW Police.

The PSA wrote to Minister Troy Grant last week demanding detail of the restructure – touted the biggest in 20 years – but the Minister has refused to reply.

Particularly concerning to public safety is word of the proposed amalgamation of 11 regional Local Area Commands into just seven.

“Troy Grant needs to come clean and reveal his plan,” said Acting PSA General Secretary, Troy Wright.

“We are extremely concerned about the loss of critical civilian support staff who ensure police are properly equipped to be able to undertake the full range of their duties on behalf of their local communities.

“Workers across the state will be affected including counter staff at Police stations, Forensics officers, Intelligence analysts who track crime patterns and Community Liaison officers.

“As a former uniformed officer himself, I would have thought Troy Grant would be very well aware of the vital role played by civilian support staff in day to day policing in NSW.

“Rather than providing some clarity and reassurance for local communities and staff, particularly in regional areas, it appears the Minister is happy for the restructure process to remain a shambolic drip feed of selective information.

“Job cuts in regional areas mean less money going into the local community, families being forced to move elsewhere, taking their spending money with them and removing their kids from local schools.

“Every job in the bush feeds into six others from the local supermarket to car dealers”.

“It’s the ripple effect of economics and in the end the community is the big loser”.

“The National Party must speak up against these cuts and reassure their constituents that police will still have the vital support that allows them to get out of the office and fully serve their communities.”