It was open slather for people to voice their opinions and concerns at Corrimal Uniting Church, set up by Superintendent Chris Craner for local law enforcement to get to know the community better. 

Issues discussed included hoon drivers in Balgownie, a huge spike in thefts from motor vehicles, why Corrimal police station wasn’t open 24 hours a day and why it’s dangerous for high speed police pursuits of trail bike riders.

Super Craner said it was a chance to build relationships at a time of no crisis, attempt to engage and "listen to the community so we can work together to prevent crime".  "Tonight is not about how many people turn up, it’s about what people have to say so we can get a better feel for the community and respond accordingly," he said. 

"The better we prevent and disrupt crime together the less crime there will be.  The other theme is we encourage you all to contact the police. Too often you don’t won’t to bother us and you sit up all night hoping a party will stop or a hoon  will stop the burnouts. Call us straight away. " 

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Several  people stepped forward to say they had felt ignored when asking for help.

“I believe in the law and I believe in justice but at the moment I am finding it very, very hard to grasp onto the justice I’ve been given,” said one woman.

After authorities urged the public not to be afraid to call them or attend the police station in person to alert them of something “serious”, one woman questioned how they determined what constituted serious.

“It’s very subjective and I know your job is very hard, but I was attacked verbally … I reported it to police and I didn’t get consistent responses,” she said. “It had a big impact on me, to my mental health.”

While a Wollongong business owner was frustrated over an ongoing problem of drug addicts harassing his customers outside his shop and it taking several calls to police for them to respond.

All of these people were given a response, some publicly and others privately.

The big picture, several of the officers explained, was that police were people too and their job was just as much about customer service as it was hunting criminals.

“You’re going to speak to someone at the counter initially or on the phone,” Detective Inspector Brad Ainsworth said. 

"Sometimes you’re not going to get the best response … it may be due to inexperience, that person might be having a bad day which is no excuse, and it comes down to them understanding what’s wrong, he said. 

"There is expectations on police to deliver acceptable customer service standards. 

"We are subjected to random audits and mystery shopper reviews so you never know who will be approaching the counter. At Wollongong we try and put the needs of our customers into a personal perspective with our staff and we pose the question to them, 'if yourself or a family member was the victim of a crime, what is your expectation of assistance?

“If you’re not happy with the service that you get you take it to the next level.”

The next forum will be held in Wollongong on December 5.

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