World Youth Day to deplete regional police: union
Posted
The Police Association of New South Wales has warned police in country centres will be under pressure to cope with the extra workload created by World Youth Day in Sydney.
The western region police command has revealed about 20 police will be seconded to youth day in Sydney from each of the region's three local area commands based in Moree, Tamworth and Armidale.
Association president Bob Pritchard says the secondments will put pressure on the officers remaining in country areas in what he says is an unavoidable situation.
It will stretch all commands across the state - this is happening in all commands in country areas, where they've taken large numbers of police and brought them into the city for World Youth Day," he said.
"It's never satisfactory to deplete police on the front-line in country areas, but unfortunately these major events, they just can't be handled by metropolitan police alone."
The state leader of the Nationals, Andrew Stoner, says the State Government must ensure that there are enough police officers on duty in the region during World Youth Day.
"If you don't have police or cars available to respond to an emergency situation, whatever that situation is - it could be domestic violence, a car accident or an armed robbery - you just never know," he said.
"That's why the Nationals are calling on the Iemma Government not to rob Peter to pay Paul, but to ensure that there are sufficient police numbers available."
