AFTER a slow start, Armadale Police Station has seen a significant increase in the number of people accessing its new 24-hour front desk.
Officer-in-charge Glenn Spencer said the first few days were quiet after the July 24 opening, but things picked up on the weekend.
“What we found was we are still getting people coming in around 4pm to 6pm,” Senior Sergeant Spencer said.
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READ NOW“We’re getting around seven to 10 people on average using the extended hours.
“There was a significant uptake on the weekend; we had 29 people on Saturday and on Sunday we had 24.
“It’s definitely well patronised by the public.
“A lot of the things can be dealt with over the phone, but we understand they want to speak to someone in a blue uniform.
“They can always phone us beforehand and if we can deal with it over the phone, we will, but we do have the staff here 24 hours a day if they’re in the area.”
Locals have been coming in to seek advice, report thefts and also get documents certified.
Sgt Spencer said the extended hours presented some challenges in terms of rostering and resources, but the new roster was in accordance with their industrial agreement.
He said crime in the Armadale area was down 20 per cent on the same time last year.
“Crime is a complex issue and just the presence or absence of police wouldn’t have a massive impact,” Sgt Spencer said.
“A lot of the things we’re seeing are the impact of diversionary projects, City of Armadale programs, and the Armadale Youth Intervention Program. There’s no one particular thing.”
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