Cuppa with a cop the perfect coffee fix for crime prevention in Orange community

The Coffee with a Cop initiative aims to make officers more accessible to the public and enable them to gain access to information they would otherwise not know about.

Inspector Linda Bradbury said, despite the small numbers, the initiative was well worth it.

“We were expecting more numbers, but that can tell us two things; no one has anything to tell us or they just didn’t want to come and see us,” she said.

“We did have a few come and raise issues in relation to suspicious vehicles that they would like us to look at.

“The majority of issues and inquiries during the day related to crime prevention and how business owners can strengthen security measures to prevent crime, as well as traffic-related matters. 

“It’s good that the community are looking out for suspicious activity and reporting it to us.”

Inspector Bradbury said people  did not necessarily have to talk to police about concerns they might have, they  could always just stop and say hello.

Hannah Vaughan was at Scrumptious on Summer to chat with police yesterday and, given her time as a youth worker, she said the initiative was an excellent idea.

“It’s fantastic that the police are out and about and want to meet the community,” she said.

“It’s a different environment sitting down and having a coffee, it’s not so scary. As a youth worker it’s important that these guys [police] are seen and that the community knows they’re out here and want to do the right thing.

“In the youth work industry you want police to be seen as a safe place, not a place children and young people are scared of - they have to be people as well as police.”

If you missed out on meeting with Canobolas LAC police officers on Thursday, they will be holding another Coffee with a Cop day at Gloria Jeans  in Summer Street on Monday, May 16.