A community left without the reassurance of police presence has again cried out for help after they were dealt a final blow.
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In December Dave Greenham watched helpless as a contractor removed the police sign from outside Yenda’s former cop station – dashing any hope the town held of having police presence return.
“I couldn’t believe that, I thought ‘Christ they are going to sell it’,” he said.
The building on Yenda Place has remained empty since 2012 when the police family living there moved out following the floods that devastated the town.
Since then the community have campaigned to get a police presence back into the town.
But it is a campaign still without success.
“I think the Yenda community are holding out hope we will get a policeman back, but it seems to fall on deaf ears when we go through the proper channels,” Mr Greenham said.
Mr Greenham said without a police presence the community was left vulnerable to crime.
“We have young fellows burning up a bit of turf around the place and we have businesses with cash and goods who need the protection,” he said.
“What is the good of having alarms on the premises if there is no one close to check if an alarm goes off?
“Having a police presence keeps law and order, the community needs this.”
Mr Greenham’s opinion was echoed by the Yenda Progress Association who also believe the town needs a police presence and are ‘extremely anxious’ over what the latest development could mean for the future.
“Yenda Progress Association welcomes any move to re-instate a Police presence in the form of a police family at the Yenda Police Station residence and feel it is a justifiable deterrent to crime having a police vehicle parked at Yenda overnight,” secretary Paul Rossetto said.
“Yenda residents are extremely anxious what these latest developments could mean for the future of the Yenda Police Station.”
The Association and Mr Greenham were united in their desire for a police family to again take up residence in the station, as their town tries to regain its pre-flooding footing.
“Yenda is a go ahead place and it will go ahead more,” Mr Greenham said.
“We need a police family here where the kids will go to school and the husband and wife become a part of the community.
The Yenda Progress Association has requested Member for Murray Adrian Piccoli make representations to Minister for Justice and Police Troy Grant on their behalf, they remain hopeful the issue can be resolved.
