The Southern High-Visibility Police (HVP) Unit was recently formed to prevent, disrupt and respond to crime through high-visibility patrols of crime hotspots, roads, transport networks, local neighbourhoods and planned events.
The rollout started in January, with six officers posted to the Illawarra region to service eight police districts, including Murray River.
Southern Region Commander, Assistant Commissioner Joe Cassar said while the unit was based within the Lake Illawarra area, it was available to be deployed across the region at short notice.
‘‘The Southern HVP Unit has the ability to be deployed wherever the demand is, including our outlying stations in the south,’’ AC Cassar said.
‘‘Earlier this year, we deployed the unit to the south coast as part of the police bushfire response.
‘‘The unit also provided assistance to Murray River Police District during the recent Southern 80 ski race.
‘‘More recently they have been tasked with dedicated patrols of the Port Kembla Harbour as part of our COVID-19 response.
‘‘These deployments are on top of the work the unit does in proactively engaging with the community and assisting with strike force activity targeting drug supply.
‘‘This unit has dramatically improved our ability to respond to emerging crime threats.’’
The Southern HVP Unit, which consists of one sergeant and five constables, proactively engages with individuals, groups and communities at risk of crime, in an effort to build intelligence-driven data and target anti-social behaviour.
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