Waroona’s new officer-in-charge lays out goals for the region

Waroona police station has welcomed its new top cop, who has already laid out plans for the region and given the community a strong message. Waroona officer-in-charge Sergeant Keith Tarver said his goals included greater community visibility, road policing and overall safety. “I can’t do everything in one go, so I’ve set some short term goals,” he said. “The commissioner has (also) provided us with some guiding statements that he wants us to focus on and I completely support each of them. “If the criminals in our neighbourhood get away with things they’ve got away with for years, then they may find that things change with a change of staff here, but that’s not just to go out there and pick on individuals.” Sgt Tarver has more than 20 years experience as a detective in various squads and business units in Perth, as well as regional police work in the South Coast and Wheatbelt regions. He said he would bring his skills and years of serious crime investigation to Waroona. “This is my fourth week on the job here at Waroona police station, so four weeks in it’s a big role change from what I was doing previously ... the actual nuts and bolts of policing isn’t different here than it is anywhere else,” he said. “I think that the role of the police differs slightly from (the role) in the metropolitan area because we will deal with people over and over again, so we need to build productive, positive relationships and get involved with community activities and community groups. “I like the way that regional police officers have the ability to apply a bit of empathy in the work that we do.” Sgt Tarver said he hopes to address accessibility issues with the Waroona police station and “contribute towards people arriving at their destination safely” with road safety measures. “When I’m in the office the door is open, the flags are raised and the lights are on and anybody that turns up while I’m on duty and at the office will have an officer to speak to,” he said. “If there’s people getting around breaking into cars and houses, well it’s my job to find out who they are and to lock them up, so that’s what I’ll be looking to do. “We’ve got to focus on road policing. It’s terrible all over the State and we’re doing our bit to do proactive patrols and slow people down if they are speeding.” Praising the “fantastic” countryside and “beautiful” climate of the South West region, Sgt Tarver said his family was very pleased to be posted in Waroona and hoped to engage with people across the region. “I would imagine it was a highly sought after position and I’m very fortunate that I was selected to take on the responsibility,” he said. “I was able to represent the WA police force as the OIC of the station at (Waroona’s) Anzac ceremony; it was a great turnout with hundreds and hundreds of local residents there. “It is just a fantastic place to live and work at the moment. I could not be happier.”