Stronger incentives needed to bring more police to regional areas: Butler

A recent spike in crime in Narrabri has exposed lengthy police response times, showing that stronger incentives are needed to bring more police to regional areas, says the Member for Barwon, Roy Butler.

A statement released by Mr Butler’s office this week said local people have shared some terrifying stories, so now Mr Butler is asking the wider community to complete a survey on his website to help make the case to the NSW police minister.

“One of the incidents involved a Kaputar hotel manager being confronted by three individuals, one armed with a machete, at 3.15am,” the statement read.

“The manager called Triple Zero but although the call made it through, it was diverted to Tamworth Police. It took until 8.20am before any police were able to attend.”

Mr Butler wrote to the Minister for Police and Counter-Terrorism, Yasmin Catley, about the hotel incident and the problems with the response, while also outlining the impact that the recent crimes are having on local businesses and the community.

“It’s unacceptable to have to wait five hours for police to show up to a violent crime,” said Mr Butler.

“Cases like this challenge people’s perceptions of their own safety while damaging community cohesion.”

Other recent crimes include a 63-year-old woman experiencing four attempted break-ins at her property, with one attempt involving the intruders trying to kick in her doors.

“It seems nothing deters these people,” she said. “More police would be a very welcome assurance that this concern can be addressed quickly.”

One resident reported that while Narrabri has been historically considered a safe town, the rise in incidents is “particularly troubling”. He said: “There is a growing perception that youth crime is contributing to many of the incidents being reported.”

The resident praised police but said “it appears they are being asked to do more and more with limited resources”.

Mr Butler confirmed that the work of local police is not in question.

“Local police are committed to serving our community despite the significant pressures of the job,” he said.

“The Police Association has told me that around 4,000 positions stand vacant in the police force. That shortfall limits the capacity of police to respond during spikes in crime.”

Over the last year, Mr Butler has had numerous discussions with the police minister about the gaps in police presence in towns across Barwon. He has been seeking more transparent figures on actual police staffing since September 2025.

“The NSW government’s decision to start paying people to train at the police academy has increased police numbers, but it’s clear that more needs to be done,” he said.

Mr Butler would like to see entire graduating classes at the NSW Police Academy being directed to regional NSW. He would also like to see better incentives for police to serve in the bush.

“We need to keep the cops we’ve got,” he said.

“And we also need to attract a decent pipeline of new police.”

Locals are being urged to share their perspective through a survey on Mr Butler’s website at roybutler.com.au/narrabri_policing_survey

Member for Barwon Roy Butler is seeking the wider community’s view on crime to make the case to the NSW Police Minister about bringing more police resources to regional areas.