Parliamentary Secretary for the Hunter Scot MacDonald has taken aim at Maitland MP Jenny Aitchison’s comments regarding police resources in Maitland.
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The Mercury reported on Wednesday that Ms Aitchison had made a push for more police in Maitland, saying a lack of resources had forced officers to choose between which lives to save.
Mr MacDonald said the comments “undermined” community confidence in the NSW Police.
“There is no evidence a life has been lost or endangered because of police numbers, their resources or their operational decisions,” he said.
But Ms Aitchison stood by her comments, which she said came from “extensive” research and discussions with police and said she was not criticising the police in any way.
“They are in a situation where they are having to prioritise which cases they go to,” she said. “It has to be endangering lives. But it’s not the police’s fault.”
Ms Aitchison said Mr MacDonald should be advocating for better resources instead of attacking her and invited him to come and see the situation for himself.
Mr MacDonald went on to point out figures from the Bureau of Crime Statistics showing most major crime categories had remained stable in the two years to December 2017.
“The two year trend for domestic violence in Maitland remains stable,” he said.
But Ms Aitchison said police told her at the Maitland community precinct meeting that the city’s rate of Apprehended Domestic Violence Order applications was top of the state.
In terms of police numbers, Mr MacDonald said since the NSW Liberal National Government was elected in 2011, the number of sworn officers has increased from 15,806 to 16,800 across NSW.
“We are confident the [Port-Stephens Hunter] Police District command is proactively and effectively serving the community,” he said.