Castlereagh LAC - NSW Police Force 3.49

Hello and welcome to the Castlereagh LAC Facebook Page!


With this site we aim to provide you with some insight into policing in the Castlereagh LAC and remote areas generally. There are many innovative initiatives and commendable outcomes our police are achieving here.



While Commands such as this are often viewed as “remote outposts of the empire”, that in no way diminishes the quality of our staff and the clever innovations being introduced by our police and unsworn staff. People who work at remote locations are generally by necessity self-reliant, resourceful and resilient.



Regardless of our modest size and comparatively sedate operational tempo, I look around the Command and am amazed by the quality of service delivery, strength of decision making and teamwork on display every day. Which is to say that our police and unsworn staff are at the very least the equal of those found in any other Command or unit within this organisation.



Our little Command may be modest in terms of staffing numbers, crime data, finance and many other corporate benchmarks, but service in these regions is of great value in terms of experience and social enrichment. I would certainly encourage any police officer to serve a tour of duty in a western or far western Command as a career and personal development initiative. It is never a mistake to undertake such service to the community.



We are a Command that embraces innovation, values diversity, and is always looking to build on our people and our standards. While our primary focus remains crime, we are always looking to strengthen our teams and build on our relationships - both internal and external.



I hope you enjoy this site. If there is anything else about the Command you would like to know, please pick up the phone or knock out an email to myself or any of my team. I am sure we will happily oblige.


- Bob Noble, Commander


LAC Overview

Castlereagh Local Area Command (LAC) forms part of the Western Region and is located in the North West of NSW.

The LAC covers the townships of:

Walgett
Coonamble
Lightning Ridge
Collarenebri
Burren Junction
Carinda
Gulargambone
Goodooga
The main station for the LAC is Walgett, where the Senior Management Team, Administration, CMU, HWP, CI, RCI & GD's are located. Construction of a new police station commenced June 2011 and is due for completion in December 2012.

* Click here for the new Walgett Police Station plans

* Click here for the latest contruction images

Authorised strength for the Command is 72 police and 10 administration staff dispersed over 8 sectors.



WALGETT

There are 40 Police Officers based in Walgett, including General Duties, Detectives and staff with various part time portfolio duties. In addition to this, both of the commands Aboriginal Community Liaison Officers are based here. The population living in Walgett is approximately 1500 people, about 70-80% of which are Aboriginal.

Walgett and it's surrounds consist of a very large farming area with Wheat, Sheep, Cattle and Dryland Cotton being the main farming industries.

Walgett Police Station is approximately 650kms North West of Sydney with the closest major centre being Dubbo which is 360kms south, and Moree which is 215kms North East.

There are a number of businesses and facilities within the town of Walgett. These include and IGA supermarket, butchers, hair dressers, chemist, newsagency, takeaway shops, chinese restaurant, video shop, hardware, produce/farming stores, mechanical businesses, RTA, motels, service stations and a taxi service.

Walgett also has an airport which is currently unserviced by Commercial Airlines but is used by the Flying Doctor/Air Ambulance and others. There is also an olympic sized swimming pool, tennis courts, 18 hole golf course and squash courts. There are 3 banks located within the township which include the National, Westpac and Commonwealth.

Walgett has a number of educational services including 3 pre-schools, 2 primary schools (1 public & 1 private) a high school and a TAFE campus.

Walgett has a District Base Hospital which staffs 6 Ambulance Officers. There is a medical centre which has Doctor and an Aboriginal Medical Centre (WAMS). WAMS has various medical services which can be used by all members of the community.

Walgett has 2 registered clubs, Walgett District Sporting Club & Walgett RSL Club. There is 1 pub in town, being Oasis Hotel. The Barwon Inn is located 9kms West of Walgett and provides 3 star accomodation along with a fully licenced restaurant in a tranquil bush setting.

For further information visit http://www.walgett.nsw.gov.au/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walgett,_New_South_Wales



LIGHTNING RIDGE

There are 9 Police Officers as well as 2 Criminal Investigation positions in Lightning Ridge. The township is 74kms North of Walgett and is 60kms South of the Queensland border.

No doubt, the 'Ridge' is most famous for it's Black Opal, so the mining and tourism industries are the most prevalent in the area. As a result, Lightning Ridge boasts a wide variety of facilities for such a remote location. These include supermarkets, art galleries, newsagency, hotels, Westpac Bank, bowling club, a small variety of cafe's and restaurants, a wide variety of accomodation, furniture shops, electrical retailer, second had shops, opal retailers, taxi service, fitness centre as well as a water theme park with a wave pool and hot mineral springs. An indoor diving centre is currently under construction.

Lightning Ridge has a pistol club, golf club and an airport. This airport is the same as Walgett in that it has no commercial flights.

Lightning Ridge has a central school providing education from kindergarten to year 12. There is also a pre-school and a TAFE campus.

There is a Hospital and medical facilities.

For further information visit

http://lightningridgeinfo.com.au/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lightning_Ridge,_New_South_Wales




COLLARENEBRI

Collarenebri is located 75kms North East of Walgett and 142kms West of Moree. It consists of 3 General Duty Police Officers including 1 Sergeant. The officer from Burren Junction provides assistance in this sector when required.

Collarenebri is situated on the Barwon River and is renowned for it's plentiful water supply and superb fishing. The inland cotton industry is the primary industry in the area which extends across to Moree and down to Wee Waa and Narrabri.

Collarenebri is a small township with only a limited number of local businesses. These include a supermarket, cafe, post office/bank, bowling club, service station, hardware store, newsagency and an outdoor open air theatre (Runs via the LAC Blue Reelers Youth program).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Collarenebri,_New_South_Wales



COONAMBLE

Coonamble has 8 General Duty Police Officers and one Detective stationed within the town. The 2 officers from Gulargambone and the officer from Carinda also travel to provide assistance when required.

Coonamble has it's own shire council, one of the largest in the state covering 9926 square kilometres and the town has a population of approximately 3950. Coonamble is located 113kms South of Walgett and 163kms North of Dubbo, thus it is classed as 'Remote', rather than 'Special Remote'.

The area possesses a rich agricultural diversity consisting of extensive grazing and dryland farming with wheat, sheep and cattle being the mainstays. There is also a significant horse industry with breeding, racing, trotting training, polo crosse, pony club and rodeo weekends. The Coonamble Rodeo and Camp Draft is one of the largest in the state.

Coonamble has a variety of hotels, motels and clubs. Banks include the National, Commonwealth and Westpac. There is a variety of retail stores including clothing, automotive, furniture, hairdressers and agricultural supplies and services. There is also a range of medical serices with 3 medical centres and a general practioner, as well as a number of visiting specialists/services ranging from adolescent mental health and occupational therapy, to paediatrics and gynaecology.

For further information visit http://www.coonambleshire.nsw.gov.au/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coonamble,_New_South_Wales



BURREN JUNCTION
Burren Junction is a small village located 93kms East of Walgett and 91kms West of Narrabri. It is a single unit Police Station and shifts are sometimes performed in Collarenebri.

The industry around Burren Junction is dryland farming including wheat, sheep, cattle as well as dryland cotton. The village is located on the freight railway line junction which links Narrabri to Collarenebri and Walgett, hence the name.

Like Collarenebri, Burren Junction offers limited local businesses. These include one hotel, an RSL and sports club, a community pool, service station, post office as well as a central primary school providing education from pre-school to year six. Burren Junction is popular for it's hot mineral springs which are similiar to those at Lightning Ridge.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burren_Junction,_New_South_Wales




GULARGAMBONE

Gulargambone is a small rural village on the Castlereagh River located 48kms South of Coonamble and 130kms North of Dubbo. The village has 2 Police Officers stationed within the town who also provide support to the Coonamble sector.

The town has a population of approximately 500 with around 1000 people living within the postcode. The major industry around Gulargambone is primarily cattle, sheep and wheat. The largest employer is the Cypress Sawmill which employs 27 local people and the largest government employer is the CDEP (Community Development Employment Program), with 75 participants. Gulargambone also has a central school catering from kindergarten to year 12 and has around 210 enrolments and 25 staff.

Gulargambone is only a 1 hour drive West of the Warrumbungle Mountains & National Park which offers bushwalking, camping and stargazing at the Siding Springs Observatory.

For further information visit http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gulargambone,_New_South_Wales




GOODOOGA

Goodooga is an Aboriginal word meaning ' YAM' and is a village located on the plains approximately 70kms North West of Lightning Ridge. Goodooga lies in the heart of some rich agricultural land and is part of the Brewarrina Shire. It lies on the banks of the Bokhara River and is about 20kms South of the Queensland border.

There are 2 Police Officers stationed at Goodooga who provide support to Lightning Ridge on a regular basis. The township is made up largely of Aboriginal people and is 70kms North East of Weilmoringle, another small Aboriginal village.

There are very limited businesses in Goodooga with a general store providing some groceries, postal facilities and banking services. Fuel needs to be purchased from Lightning Ridge. There is a small hospital, the Telegraph Hotel and a pre-school and central school which provides education through to year 12.

For further information visit http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goodooga,_New_South_Wales



CARINDA

The village of Carinda is a single unit Police Station in the Castlereagh Command, with shifts being shared with Coonamble. Carinda is located 70kms South West of Walgett and 116kms North West of Coonamble via an unsealed road.

The industry around Carinda consists of sheep, cattle and limited dryland cotton. There are very limited businesses in the village which include a general store and service station, as well as a licenced golf club with a 12 hole golf course. There is a community pool and mineral springs.

The Macquarie Marshes are located 15kms North of Carinda. This is an internationally significant wetland under the care of the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service.