Community Collaboration Is Key Says Home Hill’s New Officer In Charge

In his first week as Officer in Charge (OIC) at Home Hill Police Station, Sargeant Samuel Pyke has highlighted the need for clearer avenues of communication and collaboration between police and community.

Sgt Pyke started in the role on Monday, February 12, bringing over a decade of experience from some of Queensland’s busiest beats to Home Hill.

Originally from the Gold Coast, Sgt Pyke joined the police force 12 years ago and has since been posted in Gladstone, Townsville, Brisbane’s Fortitude Valley and Ayr.

He worked in Ayr as Shift Supervisor for the last three years and is eager to bring his expertise across the bridge.

“As an officer in charge, I’m in charge of the division, and the staff who are involved in that,” Sgt Pyke said.

“I think everywhere in my policing career has probably given me a good insight into policing issues which are common in any town or policing division that you work in.

“I take a commonsense approach to policing, as do all of the very experienced officers who work here.

“It’s not a 9-5 job and you actually get some hands-on exposure on how to affect people’s lives and change them for the better.”

As youth and property crime continue to dominate word on the street, the incumbent OIC has expressed his desire to meet with key community members to address their concerns and work collaboratively with community groups.

“My hope would be to see a Neighbourhood Watch formed in Home Hill, formally recognised and run by the community with input from the police,” Sgt Pyke said.

“If we had a Neighbourhood Watch then we’ve got a formal entity, a formal place where police can report back to the community.”

Sgt Pyke said his previous dealings with existing local community watch groups have been positive.

“It’s good to see that the community care so much about the community itself, I think that’s important, but it would be good to see a formal structure if a neighbourhood watch was formed as an official entity which provides assistance to the community to prevent crime,” he said.

“Youth crime’s an issue across Queensland, it’s not just specific to this town.

“There’s been some great things that the government and the police have been doing in regards to early intervention, because you can’t arrest your way out of a youth crime issue.

“We’ll always do our best and use every tool in our toolbox to hold offenders to account and we’ll work within the limits of the Youth Justice Act when it comes to it.

“There’s a lot of work being done with youths to try and divert them from going down that path and that’s been ongoing for a number of years but it’s challenging, not just here, but everywhere.”

Sgt Pyke’s advice to the community is to ensure cars and homes are locked and secure at night.

“Most of these crimes are opportunistic,” he said.

“You have to be security conscious yourself to be able to prevent these things happening.

“I hope the community sees us out and about a bit more so they can see us out patrolling and engaging with the community.”

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Caption: Home Hill Police Station’s new OIC Sargeant Samuel Pyke

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