Two officers from Bathurst Police Station, Crime Manager Lance McFawn and Superintendent Mick Goodwin reported to the February Oberon Council meeting on new measures being taken to increase safety in the Oberon community.

Supt Goodwin spoke about how Oberon is in the process of acquiring a new Sergeant for the town. He said that with Sergeant Baxter leaving, the position has been advertised but unfortunately no applicants have come forward. From this point, Constables that deserve promotion to Sergeant will be considered for the job.

Mr Goodwin said that he is hopeful that Oberon will have a new sergeant by Easter of this year.

Supt Goodwin also spoke about changes being made to deployment of Oberon police.

He said that there are plans to make changes to the rostering system to make police more available in Oberon, and that efforts were being made to cover Oberon as much as possible.

“The ideal situation would be to have a policeman in town at all times,” he said.

Mr Goodwin was questioned by some council members as to why the Police Accountability Community Team (PACT) program has been replaced by the Community Safety Precinct Committee (CSPC).

Mr Goodwin said that the Community Safety Precinct Committees provide an opportunity for local councils and community members to meet with police local area commanders and share their perspective on local crime and safety issues.

It provides the opportunity for community members and business owners to get involved in strategies designed to address local crime concerns. It also provides an opportunity for local area commanders to promote accurate local crime information and raise awareness of crime prevention approaches.