Police Commander clarifies crime data causing concern

Brisbane Water Police District Commander, Superintendent Darryl Jobson, will be attending a community meeting on Sunday, March 9 to provide information about police activities to prevent, disrupt and respond to crime in the area.

He will be among several key community leaders at the meeting where hundreds of concerned residents are expected to attend to address a “significant increase in violent crime and armed robberies” on the Central Coast.

Jobson said in a community message released on Friday, February 14, that he wanted to clarify some data that was out in the community and causing some concern in relation to break and enters within the Brisbane Water Police District.

He said the latest official crime data from the NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research showed that over the past 10 years there had been a decrease of 6.7% in break and enter incidents, year on year.

The figures are: Between October 2023 and September 2024 there were 342 incidents; from October 2014 to September 2015 there were 639 incidents; between October 2010 and September 2011 there were 1,064 incidents (Source: NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research).

Jobson said that in terms of recent incidents:

There have been eight break and enters across the Police District this month, with two matters in court, and inquiries into the others ongoing;

There have been three robberies across the District this month; two matters are in court and inquiries into the other are ongoing;

No break and enter incidents have been reported this month for the coastal suburbs at the northern end of the District – Forresters Beach through to MacMasters Beach;

No robbery incidents have been reported for the coastal suburbs at the northern end of the District since September 2024;

No youth-related robbery incidents have been reported for the coastal suburbs at the northern end of the District in the past two years.

“While instances of property crime have significantly reduced long-term, we are fully aware that behind every statistic are victims of crime, and we will continue to work to drive down crime in our area,” Jobson said.

“I am aware of community sentiment, particularly in relation to young persons breaking into dwellings, and general anti-social behaviour.

“We take this type of offending very seriously and we have several active investigations, as well as putting several people before the Court.

“We are also implementing several disruption strategies and proactively deploying resources into certain areas based on intelligence.

“Everyone in our community deserves to feel safe and our officers will continue doing everything they can to apprehend those responsible for criminal offences.”

Jobson urged residents to report any suspicious activity to police, and in an emergency, call Triple Zero (000) immediately.

“And I wish to reiterate some important messages,” he said.

“Report all crime or suspicious behaviour to police; in the case of an emergency call Triple-Zero (000) immediately; for non-urgent police assistance, reporting minor crime and all general inquiries, contact the Police Assistance Line on 131 444; to report criminal activity, call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000; lock homes and vehicles.”

For information in relation to personal safety and protecting your property visit http://www.police.nsw.gov.au/safety_and…/crime_prevention

“Finally, I want to reassure members of the community that your local police are working to keep you safe, and I look forward to meeting with community members at the upcoming meeting,” Jobson said.

The meeting has been convened by Facebook Terrigal Community Noticeboard administrator Jo Coleman, following a get-together of local Facebook community page administrators who realised they were all facing the same crime-related issues.

Coleman said the community was calling for a 24-hour presence at Terrigal Police Station which presently closes at 8pm, a dedicated taskforce of detectives as well as changed bail conditions for young people, longer detention sentences and sustained youth support both inside and outside detention centres.

She said community leaders who had agreed to attend included Police Minister Yasmin Catley, Federal Shadow Minister for Community Safety Jason Wood, Member for Robertson Dr Gordon Reid, Member for Terrigal Adam Crouch, Brisbane Water Local Area Command Superintendent Darryl Jobson, Regional Youth Support Services CEO Kim McLoughry, a number of Central Coast councilliors including Sharon Walsh who is also chair of the Central Coast Domestic Violence Committee,  Police Assistant Commissioner of Youth Services Brett Greentree, and Liberal candidate for Robertson Lucy Wicks.

A number of local residents will also address the meeting including Terrigal resident and former police officer David Brooke, Wamberal resident Tim Eaton and Bateau Bay resident and parent Adele Graham.

The meeting will be held on March 9 between 2pm and 4pm at Breakers Country Club, Wamberal.