Police officers in Wellington are re-engaging with the community, following numerous high-profile arrests and raids.
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Last Tuesday, Orana Mid-Western police officers, along with the Orana highway patrol, handed out 16 car seats to Wellington families under a police initiative which aimed to make car travel safer for disadvantaged families.
The police-led project works with community agencies who reach out to vulnerable families to ensure they have the correct seats for their younger passengers.
Orana Mid-Western Local Area Command Acting Inspector Ken Brisbane said it was the perfect opportunity for police to ensure the safety of the community.
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"We could have given out more than we did, and actually a number of families made the trip from Wellington to Dubbo the following day to collect their car seat," he said.
The Wellington Inspector said there was also an allocated installer based in Wellington to ensure the car seats were fitted correctly and in compliance with safety guidelines.
Wellington youth who attended were then given a look behind the scenes, with sergeant Shannon Pendlebury and senior constable Greg Hull from the Orana highway patrol unit showing off their highway patrol car and motorbike.
Police were also present at the Indigenous Basketball camp at the Wellington PCYC, where they provided a barbecue.
Hosted by the Indigenous Basketball Foundation, the tryouts on Tuesday aim to get kids from remote areas in front of Sydney basketball selectors.
After months of disengagement, Acting Inspector Brisbane said now was a great opportunity for police to re-engage with Wellington on a greater level than just law enforcement.
"It's the opportunity now for the police and the community to work together to ensure that the town stays as a small town community and doesn't get to the place it was before," he said.
"We're starting to put ourselves back in the community with some committees and steering parties that will provide us the opportunity for us to work collaboratively with the community to make it a better place."
The Acting Inspector said there would be plenty more events and initiatives ahead.
"We're looking forward to further injecting ourselves into the town and community and seeing what we can do, and where we can go from there," Acting Inspector Brisbane said.
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