Sergeant Eaton, who heads the team of officers looking after the three suburbs, said the new model will give officers a chance to become more involved in the community and learn what the real issues affecting these areas are.
‘It will be important for the officers to understand that what we think is a concern in the community may not be as important to community members; we will need to get out into the community and listen to what they have to say,’ he said.
Sgt Eaton joined WA police in 1989 and has been stationed in a number of metropolitan and country areas in the 25 years since, working out of Fremantle for the past four.
With much of his career spent in the ‘day to day nuts and bolts’ policing, Sgt Eaton said he was eager to increase face time with the local community and not just be a faceless voice at the end of a phone line.
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READ NOW‘The greatest benefit to the community in this model is the increased and more constant access they will have to police,’ he said.
‘It is important for the community to know that the police have limitations with what we can do but if we establish strong relationships between the community, local and state government organisation and ourselves, then as a group we can achieve much more than as individuals.
‘The contact number for our team is on the WA Police website and should a member of the community have issues they wish to discuss, they can call and will get me or a member of my team. If they wish to report offences or are looking for police attendance they still need to ring 131444.’