Ballina has received just one new police officer from a record-breaking class of 302 probationary constables – the largest number of graduates in more than a decade.
Despite a well-documented spike in local crime, particularly home break-ins, and two packed community forums in Ballina and Lennox Head in the past 18 months, the NSW Government has allocated just four new officers across the entire Richmond Police District.
“It’s a joke, only it’s not funny,” one police insider told Ballina News Daily.
“The staffing crisis is having real consequences. Our officers are under enormous pressure, and it’s affecting their mental and physical health.”
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Serving officers are barred from speaking publicly, but friends and former colleagues say the strain is relentless.
Ballina Deputy Mayor Damian Loone, a retired police detective himself, says part of the issue lies in how the system handles long-term sick leave.
“There are officers who are off long-term and realistically won’t return,” Loone said.
“But until they’re medically discharged, which can take up to 18 months, their positions remain frozen. No one can be hired to fill those spots.”
Cr Loone says that bureaucratic bottleneck, combined with rising demand, is leaving remaining officers stretched to breaking point.
“Our local police are coming into their shifts already behind. They’re handed multiple outstanding jobs from the previous night assaults, break-ins, domestic violence calls.
“One arrest alone can take up half a shift when you factor in interviews, fingerprinting, custody procedures, and paperwork.”
Cr Loone said Ballina needs at least ten additional officers to ease the burden and respond to community concerns.
He lays much of the blame at the feet of the local State MP, Tamara Smith.
“Even if she did attend the public meetings – and I’m not sure she did – she clearly hasn’t followed through where it matters.
“She should be in the Police Minister’s ear every week,” he said.
“When decisions like this are made in Sydney, it’s the squeaky wheels that get the oil and clearly we’re not squeaking loud enough.
“With a record number of graduates available this year, there was a real opportunity to address chronic under resourcing in Ballina and across the Richmond command. Instead, we got just one officer.”
Local frustration has been building for months, fuelled by a sense that Ballina is being overlooked in state level decisions despite rising community concern.
“The only way to fix this is through stronger advocacy,” Loone said.
“You can’t just show up at town hall meetings — you need to be in the Minister’s office making the case loud and clear.”
Ballina News Daily contacted Tamara Smith for comment.
Main photo: Attestation Class 365 at the Goulburn Police Academy – source: NSW Police
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If there’s a bottle neck in recruiting new officers due to serving officers on extended leave then would changing the processing practice of finger printing, paperwork etc at the station at arrest be changed to be handled by additional administrative staff (not officers) be an option ? That could potentially free the officers up to move onto further cases. Just a thought.
Did you really expect a certain MP, the “ghost who walks ” to achieve anything? Securing landrights for gay whales is more important after all.