Coffee with a Cop in Tathra brings police and locals closer together

No problem is too small for the Bega Valley police service.

That is the message the men and women in blue wanted to get across at the Coffee with a Cop program that was held in Tathra on Tuesday.

The Wild Orchard Cafe was packed with locals who wanted to meet and have a chat with officers in a relaxed and informal atmosphere.

“People come and discuss if they have an issue they may not think is important enough to report at a station,” officer in charge of the Bega Valley sector Chief Inspector Peter Volf said.

“It’s about building confidence in local police, that we are approachable and you can talk to us.”

For instance a common matter raised at such events is eBay fraud.

Chief Inspector Volf said many come to the events just to say hello and there was a very positive feeling from the public on the day.

“Since the [Tathra] bushfires the sentiment towards the police from the community has been nothing but positive due to their efforts in the fire,” Chief Inspector Volf said.

“They went above and beyond, like all emergency services did.”

Coffee with a Cop is a community-oriented policing program from the US, where it first launched in 2011 when police departments were looking for ways to interact more successfully with citizens. It has since expanded to Canada, Europe, Australia and Africa.

Chief Inspector Volf said the event in Tathra was success in terms of engaging with the community, with members of the water police, detectives and highway patrol all involved on the day.

“We are always approachable. You don’t need Coffee with a Cop to come and talk to us,” he said.