It’s often said that prevention is better than a cure, and the proactive policing approach of the Central Hunter local area command is a sterling example.
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Central Hunter crime manager Detective Inspector John Zdrilic yesterday lifted the lid on the methods that have markedly wound down Maitland’s crime statistics.
Maitland is widely hailed as one of the fastest-growing local government areas in the country and it is no small feat that crime rates have dropped or remained stable during the past two years.
Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research data shows the Maitland area has experienced a marked fall in the number of motor vehicle thefts and malicious property offences since June 2012. Crimes in other major categories also fell.
Inspector Zdrilic placed a great deal of the credit on proactive policing methods that were employed by staff from general duties to detectives.
Policing is all about preventing crime and disorder. Proactive policing takes it one step further – building relationships within the community, identifying trends and deploying personnel based on intelligence and investigation.
This smarter, targeted allocation of resources means identifying criminals and areas where illicit activities occur. It isn’t about damage control and simply reacting to crimes after the event.
As police attention is focused on hotspots, it doesn’t impact as heavily on the lives and activities of random citizens, which can be the result of an old-style police blitz.
Proactive policing is, in some ways, not dissimilar to community policing. High visibility is important.
People need to respect and feel connected to the officers who work their beat.
In many ways, citizens are viewed as clients, and police are performing a service. And for this service, we offer our great thanks.
