The State’s top traffic cop was in Dubbo yesterday to work with senior police officers from the western region to look for fresh ways to reduce the road toll.

In the coming weeks police will step up measures like the existing Operation Dusty, which brings Sydney police to the western region, and Assistant Commissioner Hartley said yesterday he would allocate funding, equipment and personnel for the task.

The death of four people and the injury of a further 11 in motor vehicle accidents last week partially prompted the action.

About 30 police officers from across the western region gathered at the Brisbane Street station to talk about ways to prevent the road toll rising.

Assistant Commissioner Hartley remained optimistic the force can improve the statistics, despite the number of fatalities this year.

“We certainly are positive we have made a difference, last year’s road toll across the whole of the State including western region was the lowest ever,” he said.

Yesterday’s meeting looked at information about the accidents that have occurred, before a strategy session took place.

“We’re looking at the western region road toll, why the injury and fatal crashes are so high compared to the rest of the State,” Assistant Commissioner Hartley said.

“We do know that a large percentage, 43 per cent or thereabouts, of people killed in the region are from outside the region, a lot of Queenslanders, so we know fatigue is probably a factor.

“A lot of people are overtaking when they shouldn’t be, (there’s) still locals not wearing seatbelts is another factor in killing people on the roads here in western region.

“So we’re trying to look at what we can do to make the roads safer out here and some of those things will be increased police activity, higher profile with what we’ve got and we’ll go from there.”

The Assistant Commissioner sounds ready to enable this.

“Certainly there’s additional funding available if it needs to be spent for the western region, so I’m here providing funding to them, providing additional equipment if they need additional equipment and also providing police officers to come and patrol the roads here.”

This year’s western region road toll stands at 69, almost double the figure at the same time last year.

Police are yet to name a cause of one fatal accident last week that killed both longtime former Parkes mayor Robert Wilson and Orange man Kevin Marshall, the grandfather of Dubbo boy Brendan Saul, who was the victim of a fatal hit and run in 2004.

The police are waiting on more witnesses, scientific evidence and vehicles to be examined, but Assistant Commissioner Hartley said fatigue and road conditions were possible causes.

faye.wheeler@ruralpress.com