The Cobram Neighbourhood Watch Committee recently handed over ultra-high frequency radios, acquired through fundraising efforts, to Cobram Police members.
“I have been the officer in charge at Cobram since 2022, and in dealing with emergency events like collisions, fires and floods where we have major road closures, I noticed that our members' ability to communicate locally had some challenges,” Senior Sergeant Nathan Ractliffe said.
“So, mid this year, I asked our NHW committee if they would help us fund a number of UHF radios to assist us in the local space.
“The radios don’t replace our police radios, however we can use them at traffic control points to communicate and co-ordinate traffic movements between each other.
“It also gives us an ability to communicate locally with our emergency management agencies like CFA and SES.”
Sgt Ractliffe said the radios would be placed in each uniform police vehicle, and he hoped to expand the UHF program to all other stations in Moira Shire, pending local funding and sponsorship.
This isn’t the only time that the NHW committee and Cobram Police members have collaborated to deliver better outcomes in town.
The committee, along with local police and the police crime prevention officer, meet regularly at the Cobram Community House to talk crime and discuss ways to keep the community informed.
“Cobram NHW committee has been going for many, many years, and, in fact, is one of only a few NHW committees remaining in the state,” Sgt Ractliffe said.
“They contribute so much to the crime prevention space.
“Their volunteers produce and hand-deliver a NHW pamphlet that provides updates on crime in Cobram, and also thanks their sponsors.
“They are a small, committed group of volunteers that love their town and want it to be the safest town it can be.
“Like all things, volunteering in a time where everyone is time poor makes it hard to recruit and maintain volunteerism, and I would encourage anyone interested to seek them out.”
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