Council elections: Jeff Budd steps up to take a bite out of crime

Retired police officer Jeff Budd says he's fed up with what he sees as a lack of action on crime in the region.

"I don't see anybody advocating in our community at present to address our current crime situation, especially with youth crime," Mr Budd said.

"There's a lot of criticism in relation to the courts, but no one's actually advocating on how to fix the problem."

During his stint as Tamworth's top cop, Mr Budd oversaw the response to several crime spikes and garnered a reputation for his no-nonsense style and whole-of-community approach to policing.

He says if elected, he'll bring that same approach to Tamworth Regional Council (TRC).

It's no secret regional NSW has been struggling with an increase in motor vehicle offences and break and enter offences over the last five years.

Locally, police say they're making inroads on youth crime by targeting repeat offenders, but Mr Budd says there's a lot more the community can do to stop kids from running afoul of the law in the first place.

"Before it even gets to police and the courts we need to look at what's happening in the community itself, what's happening with these kids, and what are their parents doing," he said.

Mr Budd says he recognises that crime and justice are outside the local government's purview, but there's plenty council could do to prevent crime from occurring in the first place.

"Council have an obligation to provide a safe environment for the community. The actual decisions are made by government agencies - police, welfare, health, and the courts - but council have the responsibility to provide the right environment for that to occur," he said.

Mr Budd has experience working with the council-run Tamworth Crime Prevention Working Group and says he'd like to see local government take a more active role in that space.

He said there's often a number of government and non-government agencies involved in managing "problem kids and families" so it's important for those organisations to share information and resources.

"That's a first start. In terms of what we do once it gets into that court process, I think it's imperative the community has resources and programs to send these kids to, with mandatory attendance," Mr Budd said.

"There's plenty of people who would like to help but there's just not the facility to do so, and I think there's a role for council in facilitating and advocating in that area."

After more than 36 years on the beat, the former head of the Oxley Police District says he's running in the upcoming September local government elections because he's still got more to offer.

Mr Budd says he's eager to investigate how council could support the launch of a youth diversion program like Armidale's BackTrack initiative here in Tamworth, but he'd also want to look into more "strict" alternatives.

"There'll be a gap between the kids who go to BackTrack and those who end up before the courts, so there's specific stuff that needs to be more strict in terms of mandatory attendance for these kids," Mr Budd said.

"It goes back to what's happening in the home and what are the parents doing with their kids. Are the parents suffering from addiction, are they incapable of looking after their kids, is it domestic violence? It's so complicated.

"I think these families need to be case managed, and it needs to be a collaborative effort by all agencies, government and non-government."

Outside of crime, Mr Budd's biggest issue is mobile connectivity.

He says having a network connection in an emergency can be the difference between life and death for farmers and rural residents.

If elected, Mr Budd says he'll push Tamworth council to advocate for improved network coverage to the state and federal governments.

Telstra is set to shut down its 3G Network at the end of August, and Optus will follow suit in September.

On the personal side of things, Mr Budd says his passions in life are fishing, caravaning, and spending time with his three kids whenever they return home to visit.

Originally from further up north, the former cop did his first stint in Tamworth in the '90s and eventually moved his family down here in 2008.

"We came back here specifically for the education facilities for our kids because they're sensational," Mr Budd said.

"People don't realise how good Tamworth is in terms of sporting facilities and educational opportunities, It's magnificent."