A special team of police experts will come to Maitland in a desperate bid to solve problems in the Lower Hunter Command, The Maitland Mercury has learned.
In an historic and emotional meeting in Beresfield yesterday, more than 120 police voted unanimously to take industrial action within 28 days if their demands are not met.
Police want:
* more officers in the command so they can provide basic responses to urgent calls - and to recreate squads such as target action groups, highway patrols and other units not functioning because they don’t have officers; and
* progress over plans to restructure the command;
Police yesterday put their minister David Campbell and senior officers on notice: they will take unspecified industrial action if their demands are not met when the deadline expires.
But amid the sombre mood, Maitland MP Frank Terenzini revealed that a duty officer and two experts on rosters had been seconded to Maitland to study the problems and look for answers.
“These experts are coming from another command and they have been allocated by the police commissioner to attend to matters as an interim measure,’’ Mr Terenzini said.
“The matter will also go now to the regional commander to address issues arising over the first response agreement.’’
Mr Terenzini called on all police and officials in the Police Association to get together and discuss the situation in a bid to find solutions.
The Police Association officially notified senior officers yesterday that their members in the Lower Hunter were now in dispute.
Police Association Hunter executive officer Kel Graham said the vote to move into dispute had been unanimous after an “extremely passionate’’ meeting.
Mr Graham said: “The Lower Hunter commander Superintendent Des Organ is unable to progress in getting the amount of cars needed to respond to calls.
“Our members have now given the Region Command 28 days to look at our first response agreement and how to get more out of the Lower Hunter Command.
“And we want a decision on the overall structure of this command - the working party assessing this matter has been given enough time to do it.
“This command is facing a crisis now - but I am hopeful we can get a workable solution.
“We have had three commanders in four years out here - this place is in trouble.’’
Mr Graham said he wanted to see a new area command created.
There had been talks about a new command centred at Raymond Terrace - but the Government was not talking about it any longer since they lost the Port Stephens seat to Liberal MP Craig Baumann.
“It seems that now it is unpalatable to give us a new area command at Port Stephens,’’ Mr Graham said.
Police Association official Col McCarthy told the meeting the need for the minimum number of officers and cars to perform their front line duties had far outstripped the numbers available.
“We are not just whingeing - we don’t have enough police,’’ Mr McCarthy said.
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