Every Tuesday between 5pm and 7pm, a Junee officer will be on hand at the Belmore Street police station to meet with residents who wish to assist police with inquires or talk about policing matters.

The evening was instigated following a meeting between Junee Shire Council staff and councillors, Wagga Local Area Command (LAC) Superintendent David Simmons and Junee cluster duty officer Inspector Craig Ireland.

Insp Ireland said at this stage it was hard to gauge the number of people expected to take up the chance, but police hoped residents would make the most of the evenings.

“It is hard to say at this stage what we can expect, but we are going to review it,” he said. “We will see from the response if it needs to be more or less frequent.”

Noting the frustrations expressed by residents, who say at times they have been unable to access police at the station or via phone, Insp Ireland said he hoped the timeslot would improve lines of communication between police and the public.

Junee council general manager Greg Campbell said it would now be up to the public to get behind the scheme and talk to police about their issues, instead of complaining and failing to make reports.

“I would plead for the Junee public to take advantage of them,” he said.

“If they don’t, they will be at a disadvantage, because if it is not supported it could stop.”

Local police will always be available outside the meeting times, with the evenings acting only as an established time to speak to officers face-to-face. In the event of an emergency or urgent job, police may be absent from the meetings.