Police Minister David Elliott said he understands the argument for an upgrade of the police station in Young, following a walk through on Thursday last week.
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Minister Elliott, who was joined by Nationals Cootamundra MP Steph Cooke and police officers from Young, said he wanted to make sure he was completely across Ms Cooke's requests for a "significant upgrade" or "brand new station".
"Steph has invited me to do a welfare check at the offices here in Young, she's strongly advocating for an upgrade of police resources here in Young so I wanted to make sure that I was across exactly what her requests included," Minister Elliott said.
"We have got a record budget in the NSW Police at the moment and I'm very conscious of the fact we're recruiting an extra 1500 officers over the course of this parliamentary term, but I also want to make sure the built heritage is maintained and the physical resources available to the police is world's best practice.
"I can see the argument but I also have to balance that up with the needs of other regional areas and indeed metropolitan areas, and balance that up with the operational needs of commanders here and other spend in the Cootamundra electorate."
Ms Cooke said Young police deserve better.
"It's been an issue I've been campaigning on for almost three years now - that being a significant upgrade if not a brand new police station for the Young area to bring together the detectives area with the general duties police station. To provide a police station, and the infrastructure and the resources we need for this community going forward," Steph Cooke MP said.
"This station has served us very well, it continues to do so. But over time it continues to throw up constraints and I think that our police officers that work so hard here, shift in, shift out, to keep us safe, deserve the best possible facilities and on that basis I've brought Minister Elliott out here today to show him the existing facility, and some of those constraints he's been able to see first hand.
"I thank Minister Elliot for taking the time to look through the station and speak with our local officers. I will keep pushing on this issue until we have shovels in the ground on a new station."
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