Never say never, that's how Senior Constable Scott Chester feels after Gloucester finally increases to a four-man police station.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
"When I came here about 11 years ago, I said we need to have four officers and they told me it would never happen, and look, here we are," Scott smiled.
When Scott came to Gloucester there were only three constables and it has remained that way until now.
It was determined last year that the Gloucester station needed more resources and after a bit of time, things started to fall into place.
According to Manning Great Lakes Police District Chief Inspector Christine George, increasing the police presence in Gloucester is all about meeting the demand.
"We've recognised that Gloucester is a growing community and we've moved our resources to meet the need," Inspector George explained.
"It's not that there's an increased in crime, it's that we've acknowledged there is an increase of people moving into town and also an increase in tourists, of people coming to town."
We've recognised that Gloucester is a growing community and we've moved our resources to meet the need.
- Chief Inspector Christine George
Of the four officers, Scott is the only one who's been around for a while. Darren Fisher joined the station in May last year after Shaun Forrester transferred to Forster. Wayne Harland joined the ranks in Mid February shortly after Rob Crick made the move to Sydney.
And as of Monday, March 16, Brett Honeyman took up the final position. One of the first jobs on the list for Brett was to patrol the toilet paper aisle at Woolworth Gloucester.
Having more police officers means there will be better coverage with the benefit of having two constables on patrol after dark.
In the past, that hasn't always been the case due to limits on how long an officers can be on consecutive duty.
Not only does Gloucester now have four senior constables but it also has a second police cruiser.
The second cruiser will also make the officers' job a bit easier, ensuring they have all the resources they need. With more officers in town, the call out time for jobs requiring two constable to respond will be far quicker.
So, if you see a couple new faces patrolling around the streets of Gloucester, feel free to say hello and welcome the new officers to the community.
Anne Keen
Anne has been a journalist with the ACM (Australia Community Media) since 2016. She primarily works at the Gloucester Advocate but also contributes to the Manning River Times.
Anne has been a journalist with the ACM (Australia Community Media) since 2016. She primarily works at the Gloucester Advocate but also contributes to the Manning River Times.
