The Yenda Progress Association has called on the government to have the police residence renovated using insurance funds from the 2012 floods. 

Community member Dave Greenham criticised the level of police patrols in Yenda and the surrounding area.

“It’s no good having police come out from Griffith, doing a fleeting run through here and say, ‘we’ve patrolled Yenda,’” he said.

Mr Greenham also aired concerns about “hoons” in cars, driving recklessly around town “because they know there’s no one about.”

Member for Murrumbidgee Adrian Piccoli said he would work with community members to help solve Yenda’s crime crisis.

Mr Piccoli met at the dilapidated Yenda police station on Wednesday to discuss policing issues following a spate of break and enters in the area.

“It’s a waste of a government asset, just having it sit there,” Mr Piccoli said.

Mr Piccoli asked if a resident police officer would help address the issue, and the group responded with a resounding “yes”.

“We’ve gone from three police officers, to two, to one, to none,” Yenda Progress Association president Kay Pelizzer said.

“In the past, even when the residing officer was off-duty, if something happened they would alert the Griffith police station and someone would come and help.”

Increased crime and a reduced police presence has taken both an emotional and a financial toll on the community in Yenda.

“Insurance costs have skyrocketed; the club’s insurance has gone up twice in two years,” Griffith councillor Paul Rossetto said.

“There are businesses out here generating a lot of money and they need protection,” Mr Greenham added.

Mr Piccoli pledged to take the matter up with police, “at the very least something needs to happen with this property”.

“They have insurance money to fix it, it shouldn’t remain empty.”

Another suggestion raised on Wednesday was that the Yenda police station could be reconfigured and used by Griffith detectives or highway patrol.