Push for extra police
THE Kingborough community would benefit from an emergency services hub, similar to that of Sorell, a Kingborough councillor says.
Last week, a motion to lobby the state government for a 24/7 police presence in Kingborough was carried and councillor Clare GladeWright said the extra policing was needed in the community.
“Because I’ve just come out of a campaign period, I’ve been listening a lot to what the community want and a 24-hour police presence was coming through very strong,” Ms Glade-Wright said.
“It’s great the council is responding to that call.”
Ms Glade-Wright said police were already doing good work in the community and that Kingborough had a low crime rate.
“This motion is not in response to a high crime rate, it’s more important to understand this motion is responding to the growing community,” she said.
“It’s to do with making sure our services are growing with the size of the community.
“It’s estimated Kingborough will grow by 10,000 people in the next 16 years,” Ms Glade-Wright said.
Moves are now under way to make the vision a reality and Mayor Paula Wriedt has met with the Tasmania Police Association.
“From that meeting we’re hoping if it isn’t achievable (24-hour station) at least five new police officers can join the team in Kingborough, that would be the very least we are hoping for,” Ms Wriedt said.
Ms Glade Wright said as the community grew, there could also be a greater need for more fire and ambulance resources.
“We’re aware of the emergency services hub that’s just started in Sorell,” she said.
“We’d be very keen to have one open up our way as well.
Ms Glade-Wright said Kingborough was a municipality vulnerable to bushfire.
“Making sure we have adequate firefighting services is really important as well as is ambulance,” she said.
“Given we’re such a long municipality and those services have to service right down south as well, it would be great to have a hub in Kingborough.”
Ms Glade-Wright said she would look into the need for other emergency services and that she intended to advocate for them.
Meanwhile, after the motion last week attracted some opposition from other councillors, Ms GladeWright said that the discussion was productive.
“Gideon Cordover made some fantastic points about prevention of things like domestic violence and those sorts of points I thought were really valid and necessary,” she said.