The newly formed Safer Coonamble Group (SCG) is hitting the ground running as it tackles some of the toughest issues faced by the local community.

Born out of a public meeting in December 2023, the SCG team met earlier in March and were joined by Barwon MP Roy Butler’s senior adviser John Clements.

A frank discussion about the lack of take up of services designed to support vulnerable families and young people as well as programs to help repeat offenders and youth at risk led to a decision to write to government MPs about particular funded services failing to deliver services on the ground.

“This has been going on for decades,” one member said in the meeting. “There are millions of dollars coming in to our community to support people but in some cases the services just aren’t there.”

Mr Clements told the group that Mr Butler is well aware of the issue.

“We call them ‘ghost’ services,” he said.  “Governments believe they are investing in preventative programs but there is often a lack of accountability and communities are left wondering where the funding has gone.”

The SCG members told Mr Clements that they believe local management of funded programs would allow the community more flexibility in ensuring services meet local needs and deliver better outcomes for all involved.

With support from local Police, the Safer Coonamble Group is also pursuing more referrals by the courts to ensure that those released into the community are participating in activities to reduce the risk of re-offending.

Encouraging residents to register the location of their private security cameras so that police can request access to footage when a crime occurs in that locality is also being explored.

Similar registers operate successfully in other areas, including Dubbo.

The next meeting of the Safer Coonamble Group will be held later this month.