Councillor David Stranger used the tabling of the council’s Community Safety and Crime Prevention plan 2011-14 to support the Police Association’s demands for at least five permanent officers at Moss Vale.

Crime figures released this week show crime has fallen in all categories in the year to June, with non-domestic assaults, the one area that has increased 3 per cent in five years, dropping 13.7 per cent from last year.

There were 32 fewer assaults and domestic assaults also dropped by 25 reported incidents.

Home break-ins were down 31.6 per cent, theft from homes was down 37.1 per cent and malicious damage decreased 23.4 per cent with 199 fewer incidents.

Goulburn crime manager Detective Inspector Ward Hanson said it showed police strategies were working, but Police Association Bowral branch chairman Ben Buffett said it showed police were doing a “great job with inadequate resources”.

“We are under-resourced and under-staffed. It highlights that we could do a better job with the proper resources required,” he said.

Cr Stranger quoted malicious damage figures from 2009 that showed Moss Vale was the worst affected town. Argyle Street had the most reported vandalism (46). Narellan (12) and Parkes (9) roads were also in the top 10 most damaged streets.

“Moss Vale is way above the rest of the Shire, but Moss Vale Police Station hasn’t been manned in quite some time,” the Liberal councillor said.

“These numbers that are here, in terms of a population that really has increased, are still based on the 1995 plan. We have gone up from 33,000 to 46,000 people.”

The News understands one officer will be stationed at Moss Vale later this month.

Cr Stranger said vandalism was an important issue for the council as most public buildings damaged belonged to the council.

He said vandalism cost the council more than $35,000 in 2009.

Part of the plan involved feedback from a council survey of 992 people that showed the top five concerns were dangerous driving, vandalism, illegal drugs, alcohol-related disorderly behaviour and residential break-ins.

The plan also cited social and economic factors that contributed to crime and how to address them.

Mayor Duncan Gair said he was surprised by the malicious damage statistics and wanted the public to comment on the plan, which will be on public exhibition for two months from later this month.

Across NSW, sexual assault was up 4.1 per cent along with shoplifting (3.2 per cent) while residential break-ins were down 6 per cent as was malicious damage and car theft (both 9.7 per cent).