Easter long weekend police blitz to focus on Shellharbour Marina

Youths have been accused of stealing, verbal abuse, malicious damage and vaping, with marina workers saying they've been left in fear.

Along with the marina, police, NSW Fisheries and maritime officers will also increase patrols at reserves, beaches and Lake Illawarra during the long weekend.

Shellharbour City Council mayor Chris Homer said the marina issues are part of a broader problem of youths filming fights and anti-social behaviour and then posting it online.

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"Sometimes kids may go down there and hang out and do things that they shouldn't do in public," he said.

Council has employed security guards at the marina to stem the anti-social behaviour, but Cr Homer said they fail to deter some youths.

"They've got limited powers as well and sometimes these kids, they're quite smart in what they do and they know what they can get away with," he said. "They know that when they see blue uniforms, they just to flee the area."

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Shellharbour council has consulted with nearby councils on the possible installation of CCTV at the marina, but a decision is yet to be made.

"You can't just go headlong into these things and spend $5 million dollars on CCTV, that may not mitigate the problem. The cost of it obviously is a huge barrier and the effectiveness is a huge barrier, and also how effective it is in a legal sense when it's in police hands.

"My job is to listen to the community and all I want the community to know is that we hear your concerns, we see the concerns."

Marine Rescue NSW is urging all boaters be careful when they're out on the water this long weekend.

In the first three months of 2023 there's been 1675 rescue missions and Marine Rescue NSW Commissioner Alex Barrell is urging boaters play their role to avoid incidents.

"We've seen far too much trauma on our coastline this summer, my hope is that we get through this Easter weekend with no fatalities or serious injuries," he said.

Visitors to Bass Point and Reddall reserves in Shellharbour are urged to obey parking signs, and illegal campers will be referred to the police.

Read more: Five ways to hop into fun in the Illawarra and beyond this Easter

With sunny weather predicted and good swells, beachgoers are urged to swim between the flags

"If you don't have much experience with the ocean, I'd avoid going in if you can see lots of whitewash and swell in the ocean," Cr Homer said.

Reckless drivers will be in the sights of police across the Illawarra and NSW this Easter long weekend during a high-visibility traffic operation.

Officers will be targeting the major factors contributing to road trauma - excessive speed, driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, fatigue, non-wearing of seatbelts and helmets, and mobile phone use.

The five-day operation begin at 12.01am on Thursday and runs until 11.59pm on Monday April 10, with double demerits in place throughout.

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