THERE are fears Tamworth's police dog unit could be lost or moved from the city to another base in a resource shake-up.
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The city, along with the wider Oxley and New England police districts, has been without the specialist handler and general-purpose dog since the full-time officer left in December.
The job was advertised, but was not filled and is no longer being promoted or advertised. Any chance of permanently filling the role is at least three months away.
In the interim, dog units from other areas in Western Region, and the Hunter or coast, have been called upon to help in major incidents but are several hours away.
Sources have told the Leader they fear the unit will be moved after the state election, either to the New England area or away from the districts altogether.
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The Leader requested an interview with the force's dog unit, but it was denied.
A series of questions, about whether the role would be again advertised to fill it, were not answered; instead, a one-line statement was provided.
"The NSW Police Dog Unit is currently working with Western Region to allocate resources appropriately, however the Dog Unit does service requests for the entire state of NSW as needed," a NSW Police spokesperson said.
Police sources said the city needed not only a tracking dog but also a drug detection dog, and the position must be retained.
The Police Association of NSW also believes the position should be retained and filled in Tamworth.
"There's no doubt that dog squads are a valuable resource, particularly in regional areas like Tamworth," president Tony King said.
"Tamworth certainly has a demonstrated need for the position to be filled, and we'd hope moves to reinstate the dog squad would be undertaken as quickly as practical."
Breanna Chillingworth
Northern Daily Leader Senior Crime and Court Reporter
Northern Daily Leader Senior Crime and Court Reporter
