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Wales welcomes police assignment

Liberal Candidate for Peats, Cr Debra Wales, has welcomed the State Government announcement that extra general duties police would be assigned to Woy Woy Police Station.

She said the action followed repeated requests from the NSW Liberal Party for the extra front line police on the Peninsula.

"Whilst I welcomed the announcement that general duties police will be assigned to Woy Woy Police Station, you will have to forgive the community for being a little skeptical about the news," Cr Wales said.

"The NSW Liberal Party has been pushing hard over the last four years for the return of general duties police to Woy Woy Police Station especially after the closure by State Labor Government of the ill-fated Umina police shop front last year.

"However, nobody yet knows what the term 'assigned' actually means and whether criminals will be able to be charged at Woy Woy.

"If the Woy Woy police station is to be just a check-in check-out point, then this is a far cry from fully-operational status.

Cr Wales said that, if elected to Government in March 2003, the NSW Liberal Party would ensure that Woy Woy police station was re-instated to fully operational status.

"Despite the assurances of the Local Member and the NSW police service, the community is still experiencing high levels of crime and the 15 general duties police now being assigned to Woy Woy police station is an admission from the State Labor Government that crime levels on the Peninsula have not improved under the system.

"People in the community want to know their local police officers and be able to build a working relationship with the NSW police service.

"This has simply not happened over the last seven years of the State Labor Government," Cr Wales concluded.

Media release, 30 September 2002