Town beat welcomed as mobile police up CBD presence

The Mobile Police Beat has been a welcome sight in Nambour CBD lately.

by Janine Hill

Police have neither confirmed nor denied they have upped their presence in Nambour’s CBD despite rumours of a month-long operation.

A police vehicle, pictured, has been spotted in Lowe Street by various people during the latter half of July and talk around town is that it will be there for a month.

Locals on Facebook posted images and welcomed sightings of the Mobile Police Beat vehicle in town as activity increased noticeably.

Loud, loutish, threatening, intimidating, drunken and drug-induced behaviour in the vicinity of Lowe Street, Short Street and “the square” has been a contentious issue in town.

Some have called for an increased police presence to ensure public safety while others maintain that, according to crime statistics, Nambour was relatively safe, and safer than Noosa and Maroochydore.

When the Gazette contacted Nambour police station to confirm whether or not extra police were targeting the CBD area, the paper was referred to Police Media which issued a statement that did not refer specifically to the sensitive issue of downtown Nambour.

Instead, it said Nambour’s new $8.3 million station was staffed 24-7 with 30 officers.

“Like all police stations, the officer’s numbers can fluctuate through absences including illness, injury, transfers, training and leave requirements however the staffing numbers for Nambour station are considered appropriate to meet the policing requirements for the location,” the statement said.

“Additionally, police from neighbouring divisions will provide support to officers from Nambour station when additional demands for policing services might occur,” it also said.

“This is the borderless and priority policing approach adopted by the Queensland Police Service (QPS) and applies to all police divisions across the Sunshine Coast.”

The statement went on to point out that police were always out and about in the community and responding to calls.

“Although the front counter of the police facility may not be ‘open’ outside office hours, operational police from Nambour station are on duty 24 hours a day, actively patrolling, being visible in the Nambour community and responding to calls for service within the Nambour division,” it said.