A state-wide campaign aimed at mobilising members of the public in the fight against ‘ice’ will arrive in Wagga Wagga Local Area Command (LAC) today.

The ‘Dob in a Dealer’ campaign has been initiated and funded by the Commonwealth Government, and is currently taking place in States and Territories across Australia.

In NSW, the campaign is being held in 21 LACs across the state, over a six-month period between March and September 2016.

It will run in each LAC for two weeks, during which police and Crime Stoppers will conduct community-engagement activities designed to educate the public on the dangers of illicit drugs and how they can show their support for the campaign.

These activities will also highlight the important role members of the public have in helping police to shut down drug-manufacturing syndicates and arrest drug suppliers.

During the campaign, residents across Wagga Wagga LAC will be urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or via the online portal, where they can report drug-dealing activities anonymously.

While members of the public are encouraged to report any prohibited-drug activity via Crime Stoppers, the focus of the ‘Dob in a Dealer’ campaign is the production, distribution and use of ‘ice’ (crystal methylamphetamine).

Southbound lanes of the Hume Highway have reopened after a crash near Jugiong on Saturday afternoon.

A northbound lane closed after a second crash about 45 minutes after the first has also reopened.

Fire crews and paramedics responded to the initial crash near Berremangra Road just after 1pm.

Both southbound lanes were closed for the SnowyHydro South Care helicopter to land.

Traffic was redirected through Burley Griffin Way and the Olympic Highway while emergency services worked at the scene, with delays of about an hour reported.

The crews then turned their attention to the second crash, a single-vehicle rollover, and closed a northbound lane just after 2pm.

It is not yet known whether there were any injuries from the two crashes.

Police are investigating after a block of units were damaged by fire at Wagga Wagga today.

About 9.20am (Saturday 30 July 2016), emergency services were called to Bavaria Street, Tolland, following reports of a unit block on fire.

Officers from Wagga Wagga Local Area Command and Fire & Rescue NSW attended and extinguished the fire.

Residents evacuated themselves and no one was injured; however; six units sustained significant damage.

Police are not treating the fire as suspicious.

Inquiries are ongoing.

The completion of a five-bay shed at the NSW town of Tarcutta and the forming of a new committee is evidence the Tarcutta Transport & Farming Museum is no longer just a pipe dream.

Bunny Brown has built the first shed at the Tarcutta Transport & Farming Museum and has formed a committee to help him complete the project.

Doug and Pam McMillan, Denis Robertson and George Goold recently agreed to form a committee with Bunny to advance the project. Bunny and his wife Diana spent $50,000 of their own money to construct the five-bay shed at Tarcutta, New South Wales.

Several historic trucks were already assembled at the site recently when Owner//Driver visited Tarcutta which is a popular change-over destination on the Hume Highway.

Bunny was a member of the Australian Road Transport Heritage Centre (ARTHC) committee which was formed in 2008 to build a truck museum at Tarcutta. But he parted with the group when ARTHC decided to relocate the project to Gundagai, NSW.

He has persisted with the Tarcutta proposal and convinced Wagga Wagga City Council to lease land to the Australian Long Distance Owner and Driver Association (ALDODA). Bunny, who lives nearby at Adelong, is National President of ALDODA.

The new committee members have a wealth of experience. Doug is Chair of the Australian Truck Drivers’ Memorial which is located in Tarcutta. Pam is Chair of Transport Women Australia. Denis is a Past Chair of the Australian Trucking Association. George was among hundreds of truck drivers stranded at Tarcutta in 1956 during the famous Tarcutta bog.

“I wouldn’t get a better committee,” Bunny says. “It’ll go ahead real big now, with these people on board.”

Bunny says the first stage of the museum will possibly open later this year. Anyone wishing to assist the committee, especially by donating funds or exhibits, is invited to phone Bunny on 0438 072 494 or Doug on 0407 835 115.

The Hume Highway has been been reopened after an earlier truck rollover east of Yass which saw traffic heading from Sydney to Melbourne diverted through Canberra for more than 12 hours.

The male driver was treated for minor injuries after his B-double truck rolled shortly after midnight on Friday at Mundoonen, about 25 kilometres east of Yass.

The highway was reopened shortly after 4pm on Friday.

The highway was closed to southbound traffic, forcing drivers heading south to divert down the Federal Highway to Canberra and back up the Barton Highway to Yass, adding at least 45 minutes to travel times.

The diversion was in place until about 12.50pm on Friday, when one southbound lane was reopened after a lengthy clean up operation due a diesel spill.

Earlier in the day a NSW Transport Management Centre spokesperson said specialist equipment had to be brought in after the “quite large” spill, meaning road service repairs would likely be needed.

A man has been charged following a search warrant at a house in Albury this morning

About 7am (Thursday 21 July 2016), police attended a house in Waugh Road following an investigation into the alleged theft of ski gear from storage sheds on the New South Wales and Victorian border.

During the search police will allege they located skis, snowboards and other related equipment. They also allegedly recovered a replica firearm.

The 19-year-old man was arrested and taken to Albury Police Station. He has been charged with an outstanding warrant.

The man was refused bail and is due to appear in Albury Local Court today (Thursday 21 July 2016.)

Investigations are continuing.

Police have charged four men after establishing a strike force to investigate drug and firearms supply in Wagga Wagga.

Strike Force Golder was established to investigate drug and firearms trafficking in the Riverina.

Police will allege that stolen rifles were supplied along with quantities of methylamphetamine (ICE).

On Monday 18 July 2016, investigators arrested and charged a 34-year-old man with supply prohibited drug (large commercial quantity) and supply prohibited drug (indictable quantity).

An SKS firearm, five magazines and 300 rounds of ammunition were located during a search warrant at the man’s Glenfield Park residence.

The man was refused bail to appear at Wagga Wagga Local Court on 14 September 2016.

Earlier today (Wednesday 20 July 2016) three men were arrested and charged as part of the investigation.

Two men, aged 21 and 23, were each charged with; supply indictable quantity of prohibited drugs, supply prohibited firearm, supply unregistered firearm (x2), and supply ammunition.

Both were refused bail to appear at Wagga Wagga Local Court on 14 September 2016.

A 43-year-old man was charged with supply prohibited firearm, supply ammunition, and supply prohibited firearm part.

He was refused bail and is due to appear at Wagga Wagga Local Court tomorrow (Thursday 21 July 2016).

A man has had his car seized after he was detected allegedly travelling at more than 190kmh near Goulburn this morning.

Traffic and Highway Patrol officers were conducting stationary speed enforcement duties on the Hume Highway at Carrick, 10km north of Goulburn, about 1am today (Wednesday 20 July 2016), when they allegedly saw a vehicle allegedly travelling at high speed.

Police from The Hume Local Area Command will allege the vehicle was travelling at 191kmh in what is a 110kmh signposted zone. The vehicle was stopped and the male driver – and sole occupant – of the vehicle spoken to.

Police issued the 25-year-old man, from Long Jetty, with a speed infringement notice for exceed speed by more than 45kmh which carries a $2350 and six demerit points.

The man’s 2013-model Lexus sedan was confiscated for three months and his licence confiscated for six months.

Traffic and Highway Patrol Commander, Acting Assistant Commissioner Stuart Smith, said anyone driving at those speeds on public roads poses an unacceptable risk.

“The road was wet and there were multiple heavy vehicles on the highway at the time the man was detected allegedly driving at more than 191kmh,” Assistant Commissioner Smith said.

“These are dangerous conditions to drive at speed – other drivers, be they car or truck – are put at risk when one person makes that choice.

“We are already counting additional road deaths of more than 40 people so far this year compared to last year; we do not need high-risk behaviour by any driver, anywhere, anytime,” Assistant Commissioner Smith said.

As the cross-border ‘Dob in a Dealer’ campaign continues this week Albury and Wodonga Police, together with Crime Stoppers, are urging residents to show their support in stamping out the spread of illicit drugs.

The Commonwealth-funded campaign is currently taking place within States and Territories across Australia.

In NSW, the campaign is being held in 21 metropolitan and regional LACs over a six-month period between March and September 2016.

It will run in each LAC for two weeks, during which local residents will be urged to help police shut down drug-manufacturing syndicates and arrest drug suppliers by reporting relevant information to Crime Stoppers.

Since the joint launch of the Albury/Wodonga campaign last Wednesday (13 July 2016), local officers have been out in the community distributing information and educating the public on how they can support the campaign.

Albury Local Area Commander, Acting Superintendent Evan Quarmby, urged the community to get behind the ‘Dob in a Dealer’ campaign as it continues this week.

“Our officers will continue their work this week in sharing information with members of the community about how they can support this important campaign,” A/Supt Quarmby said.

“We are focused on targeting the manufacturers and suppliers of ‘ice’ who continue to distribute dangerous drugs across our community. I therefore urge members of the public to familiarise themselves with the seven signs of a drug house.

“These include strange odours, diverted electricity, chemical containers and waste, blacked-out windows, hoses and pipes in strange places, extremely bright indoor lighting and vehicles arriving at odd hours,” A/Supt Quarmby said.

“Not only do these clan labs produce substances that cause severe harm to users, they are highly combustible, pollutant-riddled properties that pose a direct threat to the community around them.

“Never underestimate the positive contribution you can make through a simple call to Crime Stoppers. If any properties in your neighbourhood raise suspicion please come forward,” A/Supt Quarmby said.

Wodonga Acting Local Area Commander, Acting Inspector Kathryn Chamberlain, said police are committed to working with Crime Stoppers and the community in the fight against illicit drugs.

“Last year we saw a significant increase in drug-related information reports throughout Wodonga’s two-week Dob in a Dealer campaign, helping us to identify those guilty of supplying illicit drugs to our community, and bringing them to justice,” A/Insp Chamberlain said.

“It’s quick, it’s simple and it’s confidential. Please continue to support us to create a safer, drug-free border community by reporting what you know to Crime Stoppers.

“We take a zero-tolerance approach to the manufacture and supply of any drugs into our community,” A/Insp Chamberlain said.

“Illicit drug use and drug-related crime continues to have a significant impact on communities in metropolitan, regional and rural Victoria.”

Crime Stoppers NSW CEO, Peter Price, said drugs can have devastating consequences for the whole community, and putting a stop to the flow of drugs requires a whole-of-community response.

“Local residents often hold the key to information that can help reduce crime, and we are asking people who live within Albury or Wodonga LACs to play an active role and report those people that are bringing harmful drugs into the area,” Mr Price said.

“If you have already reported something to Crime Stoppers, we thank you; if you have not and know something, we ask that you let us know immediately.

“By making that one anonymous phone call or online report, you could save not only your community from drugs, but also someone’s life,” Mr Price said.

Please find below a schedule of the local area commands involved in the campaign, including their proposed start dates. This schedule is subject to change. To confirm dates and discuss proposed media activities in each command, please contact NSW Police Media Officer Brooke Eggleton via the NSW Police Media Unit on (02) 8263 6100.

‘Dob in a Dealer’ Community Engagement Calendar

14 March 2016: Redfern

21 March 2016: Orana

28 March 2016: Sydney City

11 April 2016: Castlereagh

11 April 2016: Liverpool

26 April 2016: Campbelltown

2 May 2016: Barwon

9 May 2016: Wollongong

23 May 2016: Richmond

30 May 2016: Shoalhaven

13 June2016: Tweed/Byron

20 June 2016: The Hume

4 July 2016: Coffs/Clarence

13 July 2016: Albury

18 July 2016: Mid North Coast

1 August2016: Wagga Wagga

8 August 2016: Oxley

22 August 2016: Griffith

29 August 2016: Newcastle City

12 September 2016: Canobolas

19 September 2016: Blacktown

Crime Stoppers is focused on gathering information to stop the supply and manufacture of drugs. If you or someone you know is affected by drug use or addiction, please contact support services such as the Alcohol and Drug Information Service on (02) 9361 8000.

A woman has been charged after she allegedly thrust a glass in the face of a police officer in Goulburn last night.

Just after 10.15pm (Wednesday 13 July 2016), officers from The Hume Local Area Command were conducting a patrol of a licensed premises on Auburn Street.

The officers spoke to a woman and directed her to leave.

Police will allege the 39-year-old woman became verbally abusive and when attempting to walk away from police, she thrust a glass in the face of a male Sergeant.

The Sergeant received a laceration to his right eyebrow. He was treated at the scene by NSW Ambulance Paramedics before being taken to Goulburn Base Hospital where he required stitches.

The woman was arrested and taken to Goulburn Police Station and charged with wound person with intent to resist/prevent arrest and excluded person fail to leave premises when required.

She was bail refused to appear at Goulburn Local Court today (Thursday 14 July 2016).