Tag and release - not funny

It is not that funny for voting taxpayers to read in the tabloids how understaffed police have adopted fishing terminology "tag and release" when processing miscreants for property crime, drunkenness and vandalism.

These offences have become a late night sport, not often enough reported in many understaffed communities like the Woy Woy Peninsula.

A 30-minute response time after 3am on Sunday morning, July 16, is not only offensive.

It is just more evidence of an embarrassing lack of police presence going back more than 10 years.

I am tired of discussing crimes on the phone with police while they are actually occurring.

Residents are clearly being taxed for an ineffective system of understaffed policing, which at its best can only play catch up on hundreds of real-time complaints.

It has never been acceptable that the same tired old promises are trotted out to meetings of concerned residents by a new line-up of apologetic faces wearing senior police uniforms.

Edward James Umina