He has come into the district at an unprecedented time, but the new Port Stephens-Hunter Commander says he wants to have his troops out on the beat and more visible to residents.
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Superintendent Chad Gillies, who recently joined Port Stephens-Hunter from Hunter Valley police district, said along with enforcing coronavirus public health orders, police were still focused on usual crime and a huge strategy for him was having his officers out and about in the community.
"Clearly the issues around COVID-19 are receiving absolutely everyone's attention," he said. "But police are still out there 24 hours a day as normal.
"I'm very big on police being seen.
"Something I often hear from businesses and residents is that they don't see police enough. I want to ensure we have high-visibility through the main sectors.
Supt Gillies said that high-visibility extended to the roads as well.
"I have an expectation that our frontline police support the Highway Patrol with mobile RBTs and random drug testing because of the impact road trauma has on communities," he said.
Despite being in the chair for less than a month, Supt Gillies also has some specific local issues already firmly in his sights.
He said youth crime was a big issue in Maitland and wanted to work closely with the PCYC to reach at-risk kids.
"We need to focus on that early intervention in the 8 to 13 year age group," he said. "Some of these youths associate with older people and we need to intercept them early to break them away from that influence.
"It's about providing pathways into employment and education to try and divert them away from the justice system. "Basically everything is on the table."
But Supt Gillies acknowledged there were youths who were already well-known to police who would be dealt with accordingly.
"There's always going to be that enforcement element for those serious type crimes," he said.
"But I want to work closely with our youth liaison officer to make sure none of these kids are falling through the gaps."
Domestic violence was another issue Supt Gillies raised. He said he wanted his officers to make offenders accountable while also helping victims.
"It's about going back to basics - making sure our police turn up to provide that initial response as it's happening and make sure perpetrators are put before the courts," he said.
"But also us providing training for police to support victims. Most victims don't deal with police all that often and we want to be professional and make sure things are well investigated."