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  • Regional crime

‘We are going to find you and lock you up’: Young offenders warned

Young offenders stealing cars or holding the elderly at knifepoint are being put on notice with dedicated police officers posted in hotspots to tackle a surge in regional crime. Launching the police operation in Dubbo, which has experienced an uptick in juvenile crime, NSW Police Commissioner Karen Webb said up to 60 officers would be dispatched for dedicated units in the north and west of the state. Their mission is to address an escalation of violence in offenders between 11 and 16 years of age. “It’s about reducing fear in the community, nobody deserves to be frightened in their own […]

Apr 5, 2025

Inquiry coming after outback failures leave 20k in dark

An inquiry has been promised into how 20,000 people in outback communities were left to rely on one faulty back-up generator after suspected tornadoes wiped out major power lines. Outback towns in western NSW spent Tuesday clearing fridges of spoiled food and medicines after mains supply around Broken Hill failed on Monday. Generators kicked in at major hospitals but some primary schools were without power. The area, which topped 33C on Tuesday, has experienced patchy electricity supply since severe thunderstorms last Thursday mangled transmission infrastructure connecting the region to the national grid Gas-fired generators should have backed up the mains […]

Oct 22, 2024

Warm, wet spring could bring severe storms

Emergency services are preparing for a stormy spring as the clean-up continues after wild winds swept across southeast Australia. Higher than average temperatures and moisture levels could spell more wild weather ahead, the Bureau of Meteorology says. “Severe storms can bring damaging winds, can bring heavy rain, can bring intense rain, and that rain can lead to flashing at its worst,” hazard preparedness and response manager Steven Bernasconi told reporters at the NSW State Emergency Service’s spring storm briefing on Saturday. “It can also lead to giant hail and lightning.” Mr Bernasconi said the bureau was on a La Nina […]

Sep 9, 2024

Invasive species breeding billion-dollar pest threat

NSW’s “buck-passing approach” to the handling of invasive species cannot continue as a blistering assessment warns pests could become a $30 billion problem within six years. A government-commissioned review revealed on Monday that invasive species, including cats, foxes and 340 weeds, have spread across the state but the response remains fractured, often ad-hoc, ineffective and incomplete. Calls for curbing pet cats’ freedoms and an end to sporadic, fragmented cash splashes are among more than 70 recommendations. Invasive Species Council spokesman Jack Gough said the report needed to be the catalyst for genuine reform. “We simply can’t afford to continue an […]

Sep 9, 2024

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