The Mayor of Dubbo, Stephen Lawrence, has called for “appropriate police resources” following a string of thefts in central west NSW that appear to be targeting migrants and backpackers.
The Feed has heard from several people in the town of Wellington who claim up to six homes have been broken into in the past week - and even fuel stolen from inside a car.
Solar farm workers - many of them backpackers and migrants - feel they’ve been targeted due to the nature of their work, as they spend up to 12 hours a day out of their homes and on the solar farm.
Australian Jack Murphy told The Feed about an instance where his friend had been robbed at home while he was sleeping.
Dozens of workers protested outside the Wellington Police Station on Wednesday night, chanting “safety is a right”.
They are now calling for the station to be staffed 24 hours a day and for increased police resources in the area.
They claim there are currently just two officers on duty at any one time.
Responding to , Mr Lawrence said, “as Mayor, my heart goes out to these migrant workers”.
“It is always horrible to be the victim of these kinds of crime and that must be even more so when you are in a new place in a foreign land,” he said.
One of the houses that was allegedly robbed. Source: Supplied
Mr Lawrence said he’s been working with the local police command and the state MP to ensure the thefts are properly investigated.
“Wellington is a wonderful community. It deserves the police resources it needs as well as the social investments to tackle these problems long term,” he said.
Nationals Member for Dubbo Dugald Saunders said that, while he empathised with “migrant workers”, there was no evidence that having a 24-hour police station at Wellington “would have prevented this from happening.”
“It’s believed these particular crimes occurred while the solar farm workers were at work, during the day when the police station is open and manned,” Mr Saunders said.
“Unfortunately, police can’t have eyes on every house and every person every hour of every day.”
Dubbo MP Dugald Saunders (left) and Dubbo Mayor Stephen Lawrence (right). Source: Supplied
Mr Saunders said Wellington’s crime issue was complex, adding, “there is no single silver bullet that is going to solve it.”
“My call has always been for as close as possible to 24-hour policing at Wellington – as in, police patrolling in cars, walking the streets and responding to reports from the community.”
He also stressed the need to focus on prevention and diverting minors away from criminal activity.
“The expansion of the Drug Court, and construction of a rehabilitation centre in the region are exactly the kind of justice reinvestment projects that are going to help,” he said.
The issue of police resourcing and running a 24-hour station in Wellington was an operational question for the police commissioner “who has legal independence”, according to Mr Lawrence.
“I certainly hope he changes his mind,” he added.
NSW Minister for Police and Emergency Services David Elliott. Source: AAP
Police and Emergency Services Minister David Elliott told The Feed that "crimes of this nature will not be tolerated".
"The NSW Government is committed to ensuring there is appropriate resourcing of police across the state and is delivering 1500 additional police over four years, as part of a $583 million investment into community safety,” he added.
“Since the announcement in 2019, the Orana Mid-Western Police District has added nine additional officers and the NSW Government remains committed to providing more officers in those areas that need them.”
A NSW Police spokesperson on Thursday told The Feed that all police positions in the area "are flexible resources available to respond to incidents across the district".
They said Dubbo Police Station, which is almost an hour's drive from Wellington, provides a 24-hour response and that in the event of an emergency "local police are recalled to duty".
