Nick Berman - Hornsby Mayor.

A number of residents have contacted me to raise very strong concerns about the proposed closure of Brooklyn Police Station and the sale of the property. For a number of reasons I support our local state Members of Parliament and residents in their opposition of this action being taken.

There are several important facilities located in Brooklyn that service not only that town but all of the neighbouring river settlements. Their relative isolation means that they can not be treated like just another suburb in Sydney. It is unfortunate that this "one size fits all approach" clearly dominates the thinking of the State Government.

The feeling expressed to me by many residents is that a police station at Brooklyn is a more effective way of preventing crime than having cars travel down from Hornsby to deal with crime after it occurs.

It is also important to point out that I do have great sympathy for the police who are trying to do the best they can with limited budgets, reduced powers and all too often a lack of support from politicians and many others in society. It is a plight that those serving in Local Government can well relate to - tighter budgets caused by cost shifting and other factors, reduced planning powers and irregular support at a legislative level.

Councils have welcomed comments by NSW Leader of the Opposition, Barry O'Farrell, also a local state MP, to re-empower local communities. It will be interesting to see if the State Government is prepared to match this commitment.

On a more positive note, Council is pleased to be proceeding with a two-year trial of the use of closed circuit television cameras in the Hornsby Mall, courtesy of a sponsorship opportunity provided by Orion Integration Pty Limited. This is the culmination of a partnership between the police, Hornsby Shire Council, the Hornsby Chamber of Commerce and Westfield.

I will be ‘on-air’ every Saturday morning between 8am and 10am on 2HHH radio 100.1FM. Be sure to tune in to find out more about what is going on in your local area.

Nick Berman
HORNSBY MAYOR

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