THE State Government is currently finalising a business case for staged intersection upgrades along the Oxley Highway between John Oxley Drive and Hastings River Drive. This update was provided in NSW Parliament by Parliamentary Secretary for Regional Transport and Roads Anna Watson on Thursday, 23 October, following a speech by Port Macquarie MP Robert Dwyer […]
Kemp and Minns clash over bail laws
MEMBER for Oxley Michael Kemp and Premier Chris Minns butted heads in NSW Parliament last week over youth crime and bail laws. During Question Time on Tuesday, 21 October, Mr Kemp asked whether it would take a death from crime before the Government acted to tighten youth bail laws. The Oxley MP’s question came days […]
Changing a long-standing youth conviction principle would only lead to future criminal offending, advocates say, following the release of a review. Photo: NSW Police.
Leaders urged not to mess with criminal responsibility
LEGAL advocates have welcomed a report’s recommendations into a presumption that children under 14 are “incapable of evil”, urging a state not to tinker with the long-standing principle, despite a drop in youth convictions. A NSW review of doli incapax was released on Saturday after it was launched by the state Labor government in May […]
Crime Stoppers and NSW Police are encouraging the community to continue reporting criminal activity
CRIME Stoppers and NSW Police are urging the community to continue to speak up and report crime. This encouragement follows News Of The Area’s report last week about an apparent increase in youth crime in Wauchope. Residents say there has been a lack of police action in response to their multiple calls. Crime Stoppers and […]
Graffiti attack leaves business owner frustrated at ‘disgusting behaviour’
A TARGETED graffiti attack has left a Port Macquarie business owner disappointed and concerned about what he sees as a growing problem in the community. Alan Stone, of Coastal Realty Strata, arrived at work last week to find his shopfront window defaced with bright orange graffiti. The words were sprawled across the glass, leaving him […]
Six new probationary constables join Mid North Coast to boost community safety
SIX new probationary constables are set to join the Mid North Coast Police District after being formally attested at a ceremony at the Goulburn Police Academy on Friday, 22 August. Of the new recruits, two will serve at Kempsey, one at Macksville, and three at Port Macquarie. All have joined through the “Be a Cop […]
Police blitz on drunk and drugged drivers
NSW POLICE have targeted motorists affected by alcohol, drugs and fatigue during a three-day operation. Operation RAID (Remove All Impaired Drivers) ran from 21-23 August across all NSW roads. During this period, police conducted more than 87,000 breath tests and 9166 drug tests. There were 186 drink driving offences detected and 660 positive drug samples. […]
Streets paved with gold in alleged roadworks corruption
CASH, cryptocurrency and even gold nuggets are among the alleged spoils of a long-running scheme to rig and inflate contracts for roadworks. A former department officer is believed to be in hiding, after a failed attempt to leave Australia on a US passport. The alleged rigging and inflation of contracts by Transport for NSW procurement […]
From 1 July 2025 both light and heavy vehicles will receive penalties for speeding at two trial sites in regional NSW.
Penalties being enforced in Lake Innes-Kew average speed camera trial
PENALTIES are now being enforced in an average speed camera trial which measures motorists’ speeds along a 15km stretch of the Pacific Highway between Kew and Lake Innes. From 1 July 2025 both light and heavy vehicles will receive penalties for speeding at two trial sites in regional NSW, the other of which is a […]
Increase in domestic violence, sexual assaults and retail theft, data shows
NEW data reveals rates of domestic violence, sexual assault and retail theft have increased in NSW over the last two years. The NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research (BOCSAR) has released its latest report on 13 major criminal offences. Stealing from a motor vehicle was the only major offence to show a significant decline […]
