The National Party’s Tweed MP Geoff Provest is misleading voters with his claims on police resources for the Tweed Byron Local Area Command.
Last week he used official ‘authorised strength’ figures to argue that there were five more officers in the region than there were in February 2012.
What matters is actual police numbers on the ground, not the number of officers the Local Area Command is authorised to have.
The number that Mr Provest does not like to talk about is the official ‘actual strength’ of the Tweed Byron Local Area Command.
In February 2012 the ‘actual strength’ of the Tweed Byron Local Area Command was 198.
Seventeen officers were moved to the Traffic and Highway Command, which should leave the command with an actual strength of 181. The ‘actual strength’ of the Tweed Byron Local Area Command was 166.
Let us not forget that in opposition, Mr Provest argued that the district was 59 police officers short.
Mr Provest can argue about ‘authorised strength’ all he wants. It is the equivalent of arguing that a bus is full of passengers because it is authorised to carry 52 people.
The police members that have spoken to me are concerned about the drop in actual police officers in the district.
Local residents tell me they are concerned about this reduction in police officer numbers and the potential effect on public safety.
Ron Goodman, Labor candidate for Tweed
Of course “geoff” is trying to spin the whole deal, he’s not above the occaisional bit of bullshit to keep him in office, If the tweed & ballina & Lismore voters have their say next election they will show the door to the likes of Provest, Thom George etc……..