Orana Mid-Western Police top state for arrests, charges laid in 2018

Dubbo’s crime was highlighted on national television this week, when Superintendent Peter McKenna was interviewed about the ‘stop, search and detain’ powers being used more since he started in December.

But the region’s top cop has told the Daily Liberal there was no “conscious effort” to have the highest number of arrests in NSW.

“It’s simply a flow-on effect of our philosophy of taking a firm stance on crime and those who would seek to do harm to members of our community,” Superintendent McKenna said.

“We don’t have a zero tolerance approach, rather it’s a proportionate approach to the criminal offending.

“We are utilising our powers of arrest and the Bail Act in particular where we believe that we need to remove people on the street and either place them before the court, or put restrictions on their behaviour.”

Incidents of a number of property-related offences fell in the 24 months to March 2018, notably break and enter – dwelling (down 39.3 per cent) and steal from motor vehicle (down 35.1 per cent).

Motor vehicle theft fell 30.9 per cent in the same period, while steal from dwelling dropped 30.3 per cent and steal from retail store fell 25.6 per cent.

However the five year trends for break and enter – dwelling, motor vehicle theft and steal from dwelling crimes show only a slight decrease (3.8 per cent, 6.2 per cent and 4.6 per cent respectively), indicating a spike in recent years before rates stabilised again.

Indecent assaults rose 21.6 per cent in the two years to March 2018, and the region continues to have some of the worst rates of break and enter – dwelling (3.2 times the NSW average) and domestic assault (1.9) in the state.

“Property offences have been the most prolific in this area for some time and it was those areas that we’ve really concentrated on,” Superintendent McKenna said.

“However the flow-on effect is that more police are out on the streets, then the less likelihood there is for violent offences on the street and people will feel safer.

“Domestic violence is still a significant issue for us, as it is across the state, and we will continue to work hard to reduce all crime types.”

He defended the searching of minors on the streets, which was highlighted in the national coverage.

The aim was to protect them from becoming caught up with crime, he said, while new PCYC programs kicking off next term would foster positive relationships between young people and police.

“We’re often stopping juveniles late at night and our stance there is to take them home to their parents to stop them from being victims, and to stop them being caught up in crimes and being future offenders,” Superintendent McKenna said.

“From my perspective in regional policing for nearly all my career, Dubbo is a thriving town.

“It’s a great place to live and while it is over-represented in crime we are going to do our part to make sure the community is not only kept safe, but feels safe.”

He urged people to continue to report information to police.

“We need to hear from the community about what is affecting them, information they have about who is committing crime,” he said. “The most vital intelligence we ever get comes from the eyes and ears of community members.”