Friday 17 August, 2012

The Tamworth Region community will have the opportunity to voice their law and order concerns to NSW Attorney-General Greg Smith at a public meeting on August 30.

The meeting, at the Tamworth Regional Entertainment and Conference Centre (TRECC), is a follow up to the December 2011 public meeting attended by more than 1000 residents who discussed their concerns about rising crime and anti-social behaviour.

Tamworth Mayor Col Murray said the August 30 meeting will provide an update on the progress made on a range of law and order issues in the past eight months.

'We are pleased the NSW Attorney-General Greg Smith is able to attend the meeting and respond to the concerns raised in our 18,679 signature petition which was debated in State Parliament in May this year,' he said 

`There has been some good progress made on solutions to local concerns and these will be discussed at the meeting.

The community petition, which called for State Government action on a range of law and order issues, was a key outcome of the December 2011 public meeting. The petition was formally handed to the State Member for Tamworth, Kevin Anderson in February and it was debated in State Parliament on May 10 this year.

Mr Smith, Mr Anderson and the Mayor, along with representatives from the Oxley Local Area Command, will form a panel of speakers at the public meeting.

Tamworth Region CouncilIor Ray Tait, chair of the Crime Prevention Working Group, and Tamworth and District Liquor Accord Chairman Roger Rumble will also address the meeting.

There will be about 45 minutes set aside for questions from the audience. The meeting is planned to end at about 7.30pm.

'It's important that our community remains united and committed to finding solutions to rising crime and anti-social behaviour in our region,' Cr Murray said.

The meeting will start at 6pm at the TRECC on Thursday, August 30. Doors will open at 5.30pm.