HELLO everyone, and welcome to the first Police Report for 2010. I hope everyone had a wonderful festive season, and the worse thing to happen to you was an expanded waistline.
As most people know, over the Christmas and New Year period the population of this area drops dramatically as lucky residents take advantage of the holiday period and warmer weather. Less people mean fewer jobs for us Police, with only a few items of interest happening since our last report.
Stealing seemed to be the activity of choice for some locals, with quite a few reports received.
Three vehicles were damaged in an attempt to break into them on January 23. All three vehicles were parked in the driveway of a property on the fringe of town. Thankfully the owners of those cars are security minded and locked had them therefore preventing anything being stolen.
Relatively minor damage was occasioned to all vehicles, and this serves as a timely reminder to people that, sadly, Bombala is no longer a town where you can leave your house and car unlocked. Unfortunately there are people out there that have no respect for another person’s property.
A rather heavy wooden picnic table and associated benches were stolen from the Six Mile Creek picnic area of the South East Forests National Park. So if someone you know has suddenly acquired a large picnic table and two benches constructed of very heavy timber, please let us know, as these sorts of thefts have a broad reaching effect on the community. A fact that I have spoken about in this column previously.
A good weekend had by a young Bombala man turned sour after his swag, pillow, sleeping bag an ipod were stolen from the river bank at the end of Jonas Street over the weekend prior to Australia Day. It is hoped that the items were picked up by accident and will be returned promptly.
A 19 year old man from Bombala had his vehicle defected on January 15 after it came under Police notice for inadequate clearance. Car enthusiasts are reminded that any modifications you do to your vehicle, which were not part of the vehicle when it rolled off the factory floor, can be considered a defect.
Before you waste your money on things such as lowered suspension or a fancy set of running lights, please be aware that you may be fined for it if you do not have an engineer’s certificate or the modification does not comply with Australian Standards.
Due to my highway patrol experience, I have a comprehensive list of do’s and don’ts when it comes to vehicle modifications, and am more than happy to impart my knowledge if asked, so before you spend the money come and see me and make sure your car won’t be defected.
Two motorcyclists came to grief in separate accidents on Mount Darragh Road over the weekend, with both being conveyed to Bega District Hospital with various injuries. Thankfully both accidents happened at low speed so the injuries are not too severe.
The battle against drugs in our community is continuing with a Delegate man being dealt with for possession of cannabis.
The assistance we have been getting lately in relation to this problem has been outstanding and we would love it to continue. Policing in the modern world is a community affair, no longer is it a matter where the cops rely solely on what they see. We rely heavily on what people tell us, and in an echo of yesteryear and the old ‘Spaghetti Westerns’ our community are all ‘deputised’ as it were. We as Police cannot fix a problem if we don’t know what it is. We need our Deputies, ie you, to help us. Simple as that.
In a similar vein to the drug problem, your Police are also finding an increased report of illegal hunting, particularly in the Nimmitabel area. This is especially the case over a holiday period such as the one we have all just enjoyed.
Over the New Year weekend, a number of men from Canberra decided to conduct their own blitzkrieg on furry critters in the Greendale Road area of Nimmitabel. Unfortunately for them, but luckily for us, they upset a number of people who managed to get a registration number for the vehicle they were using. This information was instrumental in identifying the offenders and the full weight of the law has come down on their heads.
Over the next couple of months, everyone that has a firearm registered in their name will be receiving a visit from your local Police. We have been given the task of auditing every firearms license holder within our area, which entails ensuring the records kept by the Firearms Registry are correct and your storage facilities comply with the standard.
Please ensure before we contact you that you do have everything in order because unfortunately we are unable to give warnings for any discrepancies in relation to firearm registration and storage. They will be dealt with via the court system.
Finally, on a good note, we will have a new Police Officer starting at Bombala within the month. His name is Lee Gray and he and his family are very excited to be moving to our little patch of paradise.
Some of you may have been lucky enough to meet them over the last weekend when they came down to check out the area. Lee is a very experienced police officer who is currently stationed at Redfern, he will be an asset to this area and I am sure everyone will make the family feel ultra welcome.
It is hoped that similar news will be forthcoming for the currently vacant Nimmitabel Police Station.
Well that is it until next week, until then stay safe and drive safely
Yours in crime fighting
Senior Constable Rebecca Bavister
Bombala Police Station
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