MAITLAND MP Frank Terenzini has called for a show of community support for a proposed 12-month trial of restaffing the Beresfield police station, in a move his Liberal rival labelled a ‘‘desperate’’ election campaign stunt.
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Mr Terenzini said yesterday he wanted the community to get behind a trial of a police ‘‘taskforce’’ based out of the station to determine whether a boosted police presence could be justified.
It followed claims that residents had stopped reporting crimes because police response was too slow.
On the other hand, police said reporting statistics were not high enough to warrant further resources, Mr Terenzini said.
He said he had been lobbying Police Minister Michael Daley for months about the station, which is just outside the marginal Maitland electorate.
Mr Terenzini said the issue had ‘‘reached a point where something must be done’’ and he feared that a Coalition Government would sell off the site as part of its promise to audit police stations across the state.
‘‘If I’m gone then so is it,’’ he said of the station.
Liberal candidate and upper house MP Robyn Parker accused Mr Terenzini of ignoring previous petitions from the community and said he should explain whether his plan entailed extra police or the redeployment of numbers within commands that were short-staffed.
‘‘[Labor] reduced the hours [at Beresfield] and has refused to answer my questions in parliament for years about what it intends to do with the site,’’ she said.
‘‘This is a desperate act just before an election.
‘‘The residents don’t need a 12-month trial. They need more resources.’’
