24-HOUR POLICE PROMISED

Liberal Candidate for Kiama Ann Sudmalis with Opposition Leader Peter Debnam at Kiama Police Station yesterday.

NSW Opposition Leader Peter Debnam committed to making Kiama a 24-hour a day station under a Liberal government while in town yesterday as part of his whistlestop tour of the state.

Amid the highest on duty police presence seen in Kiama for some years, Mr Debnam slammed the state government for continual shuffling police resources, saying Kiama was a significant town and as such deserved a significant police presence.

We cannot keep shifting police around we have to make sure every community has adequate police resources, he said.

Whenever I call in to a town I call in to a police station and three out of every four times I come to this one, it is unattended.

That isnt good enough, it is time to get rid of the softly, softly strategy that is why we have committed to providing 950 additional police officers around the state and a 24-hour police station in Kiama.

Speaking in front of the unattended Kiama ]Police Station, Mr Debnam said concerns from residents in Gerringong and Gerroa about response times to incidents south of Kiama meant it was important that these communities also had a higher police presence.

Gerringong is a growing are and I have discussed the need for more police with council on many occasions, he said.

We are committed to providing a larger police presence in Gerringong and we dont think a part time desk in a library ensures that.

Promising to redirect resources from Labors bloated backroom bureaucracy into frontline services, Mr Debnam criticised Kiama MP Matt Browns role in failing to a full time police presence saying the parliamentary secretary for police had failed to keep the community safe.

Since 2003 the Labor government has slashed 18 police officers from the Lake Illawarra local area command and one officer from the Shoalhaven local area command, meaning the Kiama area has lost 19 officers.

A NSW Liberal government will redirect resources giving our police the support and resources they need to keep the community safe, he said.