SUMMER and the school holidays are the busiest time of year for Armadale Police Station as its officers give up Christmas with their families to protect the community during the silly season.
Police officers will have their leave restricted to ensure there are enough on duty to cover call outs over the festive period.
Armadale Police Station officer in charge Senior Sergeant Glenn Spencer said being a police officer was very rewarding but there were sacrifices.
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READ NOW“Some of my people don’t get to spend the same quality time with their families as you may do with yours,” he said.
“Police officers make sacrifices but so do their families.”
Sgt Spencer said while the station was very busy there had been a reduction in reported crime by 100 offences.
However, seven people were charged with domestic violence offences, enough for every day of the week.
Police have been helped by an increased number of witnesses calling in to report what they had seen and incidences as they were occurring.
“This is vital as it gives us the best opportunity to catch crooks and have a positive impact on crime,” Sgt Spencer said.
He said Roleystone continued to be an area of focus.
“(Although) there aren’t a lot of offences occurring there are more than usual,” he said.
“If you live in the Hills please make sure you continue to report suspicious activity to police.”
Sgt Spencer criticised “keyboard warriors” who posted incidences on social media and then criticised police for not acting.
“Posting on social media is not reporting it to the police,” he said.