Country towns across New South Wales may lose police officers to enable the Carr Labor Government to deploy more police officers in the embattled Sydney suburb of Cabramatta, NSW National Party Leader George Souris said yesterday.

Mr Souris said despite the Carr Labor Government’s election promise to increase police numbers by 2100 (to comprise of 1000 new police and releasing 1100 existing police from desk duties) there were no more police on the streets now than there were at the March 1999 election.

“In Parliament this week Mr Carr confirmed that the Government is restructuring the Police Service to provide flying squads of police to saturate those areas that need it,” Mr Souris said.

“Given that police numbers have not increased since the last election it only follows that police from around the State will be summonsed to areas such as Cabramatta.

“Which country police stations will lose officers? Will it be Broken Hill, Coolah, Tweed Heads, Nowra, Bathurst, Cooma, Dubbo, Grafton or Tamworth?’’ he said.

“Officers are under threat of removal from all country commands across the State.

“Regional police strengths will be weakened. No area will be quarantined,” he said.

Mr Souris said the National Party would fight any plan to remove police officers from country areas.

“There are not enough police in rural and regional areas as it is let alone officers being taken away.

“Just last week police had to deal with serious incidents in a number of country area commands. These included:

• In Broken Hill the police station had to be locked when 100 young people converged on it early on Sunday morning demanding the release of a man who had been arrested;

• In Narrandera a brawl erupted involving 60 people fighting and throwing bottles. It took police more than 30 minutes to bring the fighting under control;

• Near Taree a group of around 20 people threw rocks, bottles and other missiles at passing cars on the Old Pacific Highway before turning on police.”

Mr Souris said that in recent weeks the Police Media Unit had confirmed that the number of police stationed at Coolah would be cut from two to one despite a 50-year history of two officers.

“Country residents can be assured that the National Party will not stand for vital police officers being poached for the city,” Mr Souris said.