AS part of the community safety in regional and rural communities’ inquiry, the Legislative Assembly Committee on Law and Safety will be in Moree on Wednesday.

The inquiry has received nearly 200 submissions from individuals and organisations from across New South Wales, including councils from Narrabri, Inverell, Gunnedah, Dubbo, Ballina, Bega Valley, Port Macquaire, Lake Macquarie, Narrandera, Tweed Shire, Shoalhaven City, Shellharbour City, Lachlan Shire, Bourke and Coolamon.

Organisations with submissions include the Country Mayors Association of NSW, Border Regional Organisation of Councils, Police Association of NSW, The Law Society of New South Wales and NSW Bar Association. Due to the volume of submissions and the committee’s intention to undertake broad stakeholder engagement across New South Wales, the reporting deadline has been extended.

The committee, comprising chair Edmond Atalla, deputy chair Dr Hugh McDermott and members Philip Donato, Tamara Smith, Maryanne Stuart, Paul Toole and Tri Vo, was in Tamworth Monday, Armidale and Inverell today, and will be at Social Co House in Moree tomorrow from 2pm.

Interested community members are encouraged to watch the online broadcast at Community Safety in Regional and Rural Communities.

Member for Tamworth, Kevin Anderson, said in a submission lodged last year, the need for more police and policing resources in regional areas is paramount.

“The New England north-west region covers an area of 96,000 square kilometres south of the Queensland border, extending from Glen Innes and Armidale on the New England Tablelands in the north-east, through to Moree and Mungindi in the west.

“There are 186,000 people living in the region and many community members in towns and cities like Tamworth, Moree, Gunnedah, Inverell, Narrabri, Armidale, Glen Innes and more are deeply disturbed and terrified by a steep increase in crime.

“Overall, there are less police in regional New South Wales than metropolitan Sydney, and that needs to be rectified as a matter of priority.

“The Country Mayors Association has highlighted the fact that we have significantly fewer police than our city cousins, and, as a whole, New South Wales has less police per head of population than Queensland, Victoria and South Australia.”

The Country Mayors Association of NSW lodged a 32-page submission covering many issues, including police staffing levels and workforce issues, the tendency of convicted criminals to reoffend in regional and rural areas, and related impacts on the community, services and law enforcement and how a whole-of-government approach can reduce the drivers and root causes of youth crime in regional and rural New South Wales.

In the inquiry’s interim report, published in May, chair Edmond Atalla said crime is a serious concern for many regional and rural communities in New South Wales.

“In 2023, violent crime was 57 per cent higher in regional New South Wales than in Greater Sydney. Statistics tell us only part of the story. Over the past year, we’ve heard powerful first-hand accounts from victims of crime. For many, their lives have been profoundly affected by trauma,” Mr Atalla said.

“Since the Committee on Law and Safety began its inquiry into community safety in regional and rural New South Wales on March 20, 2024, there has been strong and widespread interest. We received almost 200 submissions, held regional hearings in Bourke, Broken Hill, and Kempsey, as well as one public hearing at Parliament House in Sydney, and met informally with community stakeholders in Wagga Wagga.

“The committee also held a roundtable discussion with community members on the Mid North Coast, who have been victims of crime.

“The communities we have visited and the stories shared with us in submissions make one thing very clear: people feel unsafe,” he said.