A police spokesperson said the force was confident in officers’ ability to “respond to incidents anywhere, anytime” in southeast NSW. Photo: Michelle Kroll.
Queanbeyan Council has called for an expanded police presence in its local district to manage its growing population.
At an April meeting, Queanbeyan-Palerang Regional Council (QPRC) voted to write to NSW Police Minister Yasmin Catley and the local state member, calling for more police resources.
During the meeting, Councillor Ross MacDonald said police were “struggling to fill those roles – and there are a number of vacancies” and police travelling around the region risked “massive delays” in response times.
“[If it] means police cannot be stationed in 12 out of 13 police stations on a 24-hour basis within our local command, that suggests to me that we have a systemic problem at the state policy level,” he said.
Mayor Kendrick Winchester’s and Ms Catley’s letters were received by councillors at a recent meeting in July.
Councillor Winchester wrote that the call for further police resources followed an alleged spate of vandalism in Bugendore and as the region was expecting its population to increase in the coming years.
“With social and geographical differences, council is very supportive of an increased NSW Police presence for better emergency response times, general deterrent to crime and community confidence,” he wrote.
In her response, Ms Catley said the Monaro Police District’s policing resources were drawn from several spots and extra resources were provided to the Monaro district for the population spike of snow season.
“You can be assured that the district’s current focus is on retention and recruitment to build operational capacity, and that the Monaro PD works with the NSW Police Force Recruitment Branch to actively recruit new officers and fill vacancies as they arise,” Ms Catley said.
The Police Minister pointed to the police stations at Bungendore, Braidwood and Captains Flat operating as “one sector”.
“[That means they are] providing increased capability and effective use of existing policing resources. This coverage is provided through utilising officers that reside in those stations.”
Ms Catley also directed QPRC towards the Monaro PD, which she said could answer any other concerns they had.
Queanbeyan Courthouse is located within the Monaro PD. Photo: Michelle Kroll.
A NSW Police spokesperson said the force used “intelligence based rostering practices” to manage resources across the Monaro PD.
“All police positions attached to Monaro Police District are flexible resources available to respond to incidents anywhere, anytime across the district.
“All local resources are supplemented by numerous other resources at our disposal (traffic [and] highway patrol, major crime squads, and other specialist resources) who are managed centrally but can be deployed to meet the changing community needs and respond to changing crime patterns and emerging issues.
The spokesperson also said police had created a stand-alone Health, Safety and Wellbeing Command providing a wide range of support services to staff as part of what they called “significant work in [the retention] space”.
“Police stations in Regional NSW have a range of operating hours including 24/7 stations and smaller sector stations operating around service demand and community need,” the spokesperson said.
Three probationary constables also joined the Monaro PD in December 2024, and an additional two probationary constables arrived in May 2025. Others are expected to be allocated to the Monaro PD in the coming weeks.
