Mid North Coast Acting Supt Joanne Schultz supporting officers to prevent youth crime

Acting Superintendent Joanne Schultz has taken on the role of relieving District Commander.

She has been heading-up Mid North Coast police while Commander Shane Cribb fills in at Coffs Harbour.

A/Supt. Schultz said she is "really impressed" with the work of local police and has made supporting them a priority.

First posted to Kempsey as a probationary constable, she has now been in the police force for 35 years.

"I worked up there for eight years when I first joined NSW Police, so I have some knowledge of Port Macquarie and the Mid North Coast Police District," she said.

After Kempsey, was was stationed in several police districts across the state.

"I predominantly worked in regional areas and in the Hunter and in Sydney," she said.

"My current position is in the Hunter Valley in Singleton, as the Chief Inspector."

For the past 12 months she has been relieving district commanders across NSW.

"Because of my role in Singleton, I'm aware of that community officer-in-charge model that we have," she said.

"As the commander, I look across the whole district and keep an eye on how it's all working and support the inspectors in their roles and ensure any issues are being addressed."

"I make sure our staff are well supported and are able to do their job to the best of their ability," she said. "If that happens, then the flow-on from that is the community gets a better response and service from the police."

She said the Mid North Coast Police District is a "very diverse" area.

"You've got the big centres of Port Macquarie and Kempsey, which have different needs and issues," she said.

"Then you have the smaller towns that are no less significant such as Wauchope, Laurieton and Nambucca, and then there are the villages and small towns.

"There are different issues in different areas, so it's really about connecting with those communities to make sure we're aware of the issues and are addressing them."

A/Supt. Schultz said there are recurring issues in the community.

"Domestic and family violence is a significant issue for the Mid North Coast, but it is a significant issue everywhere," she said.

"We are continually trying to tackle domestic violence and make sure we do the best we can to investigate those matters thoroughly and support victims."

Another issue that has become apparent is mental health and mental well-being incidents.

"Police get routinely called to mental health incidents that can be really challenging for officers," A/Supt. Schultz said.

While police are actively tackling these issues in the community, A/Supt. Schultz said a passion of hers is looking at youth crime behaviour.

"The influence of social media and youth being disengaged from family and the community leads to some offending and this is happening across the whole Mid North Coast Police District, but it looks different in each community," she said.

"I've got a real passion for young people and tackling the issue of youth crime in the community.

"I'd like to see what we can do in our smaller communities like Wauchope and Nambucca in terms of how we engage with youth."

A/Supt. Schultz will be stationed with the Mid North Coast Police District for at least another month and said she is enjoying her time here.

"It's been a good experience for me and I think it's always good to have fresh people come in to have a look and see what things we can work on," she said.

"We're always actively trying to recruit more police into the districts so that we can provide a better response.

"But the guys who are on the ground are really impressive and it's really good to see the work they do. It's a real team effort here."

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