WAUCHOPE residents are urging police to respond to ongoing youth crime in the area following multiple calls to Triple Zero (000) allegedly falling on deaf ears. “Crime is being ignored in Wauchope, and residents are tired,” Wauchope local Amy Murphy told News Of The Area. “Residents in Bain Street, Walters Street, Waugh Street, and James […]

Marine Rescuers log intense week of search and rescues
MARINE Rescue volunteers have logged an intense 10 days of search and rescues, including being part of the multi-agency operation to find a swimmer who disappeared off Shelly Beach. The 20-year-old man failed to surface after entering the water with another person on Wednesday 27 August, sparking a land, sea and air search that continued […]
Police blitz on drunk and drugged drivers
NSW POLICE have targeted motorists affected by alcohol, drugs and fatigue during a three-day operation. Operation RAID (Remove All Impaired Drivers) ran from 21-23 August across all NSW roads. During this period, police conducted more than 87,000 breath tests and 9166 drug tests. There were 186 drink driving offences detected and 660 positive drug samples. […]
Appeal to find missing man Scott Hayden
THE family of Tinonee resident Scott Hayden is pleading for the public’s help to help locate the missing 46-year-old. Scott was last seen on the evening of 30 May in his car on Thunderbolts Way, Tibbuc. The vehicle was found abandoned the following day, parked on the side of the road near Tibbuc Road. The […]
Streets paved with gold in alleged roadworks corruption
CASH, cryptocurrency and even gold nuggets are among the alleged spoils of a long-running scheme to rig and inflate contracts for roadworks. A former department officer is believed to be in hiding, after a failed attempt to leave Australia on a US passport. The alleged rigging and inflation of contracts by Transport for NSW procurement […]

Penalties being enforced in Lake Innes-Kew average speed camera trial
PENALTIES are now being enforced in an average speed camera trial which measures motorists’ speeds along a 15km stretch of the Pacific Highway between Kew and Lake Innes. From 1 July 2025 both light and heavy vehicles will receive penalties for speeding at two trial sites in regional NSW, the other of which is a […]
Increase in domestic violence, sexual assaults and retail theft, data shows
NEW data reveals rates of domestic violence, sexual assault and retail theft have increased in NSW over the last two years. The NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research (BOCSAR) has released its latest report on 13 major criminal offences. Stealing from a motor vehicle was the only major offence to show a significant decline […]
‘Exemplary service’: two Mid North Coast police officers awarded King’s BIrthday honours
TWO of the region’s leading police officers have been awarded Kings Birthday 2025 Honours. Head of the Mid North Coast Police District Superintendent Shane Cribb, and Manning-Great Lakes Detective Sergeant Craig Ryan (formally of Port Macquarie), were among only nine serving officers from across NSW awarded the prestigious Australian Police Medal (APM). “This year’s recipients […]
Inquiry launched into illegal tobacco trade in NSW
A PARLIAMENTARY inquiry was established on 7 May to report on the illegal tobacco trade in New South Wales. Among a broad remit, the committee will inquire into links between organised crime syndicates and tobacconists, and the utilisation of money laundering schemes by tobacconists. The inquiry will also explore the impact of the illegal tobacco […]
Police legal action rates rise across most offences
THE NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research (BOCSAR) has released a new report examining the proportion of recorded crimes that result in an offender being charged by NSW Police. The study, “Trends in police legal action rates 2009-2023”, examines the rate of legal action taken by police across 11 categories of offences over 15 […]