A child has suffered fatal injuries, and her 11-month-old brother remains in a critical condition after the vehicle they were travelling in crashed on the New England Highway near Willow Tree tonight.

About 7pm (Monday 17 August 2015), a woman was driving her sedan northbound on the highway, about 4km north of Willow Tree, when the vehicle rolled, landing down an embankment off the side of the road.

A passer-by stopped and assisted, locating a two-year-old child deceased, and an 11-month-old boy suffering critical injuries.

Police from Oxley and Hunter Valley Local Area Command’s attended the scene and co-ordinated a response with the assistance of NSW Ambulance, Rural Fire Service, VRA, and Westpac Rescue Helicopter.

The infant was flown to John Hunter Hospital where he remains in a critical condition.

The woman, who is the mother of the children, was taken to Tamworth Base Hospital where she remains in a stable condition.

Crash Investigators from Tamworth are on scene and will conduct a full investigation, and a brief will be prepared for the Coroner

Anyone who may have witnessed the crash is asked to contact the Crash Investigation Unit at Tamworth on (02) 6768 2890, or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

Police are investigating a fatal crash in the state’s Hunter region.

Emergency services were called to Putty Road at Milbrodale about 2.30pm today (Sunday 16 August 2015), after a motorcycle left the road and crashed.

The male rider, believed to be aged in his 50s, died at the scene.

Police from the Traffic and Highway Patrol Command and Hunter Valley Local Area Command attended and have commenced inquiries.

A report will be prepared for the Coroner.

A man has died following a single-vehicle crash at Freemans Waterhole, in the state’s Lake Macquarie region.

About 9.30am today (Sunday 15 August 2015), police were called to Cessnock Road after a Holden Commodore left the road and hit a tree.

The driver, a 31-year-old man, died at the scene.

Officers from the Traffic and Highway Patrol Command established a crime scene and are investigating the incident.

A report will be prepared for the Coroner.

A motorcycle rider has been taken to hospital following a crash at Morisset this afternoon.

Just before 3.30pm (Sunday 16 August 2015), two motorcyclists were travelling south on the F3 freeway.

About 3km south of the Mandalong Road off ramp, one male rider fell from his motorcycle after riding over road debris.

Emergency services were called to the incident and the man was transported to hospital by NSW Ambulance Paramedics with non-life threatening injuries.

Traffic & Highway Patrol officers are investigating the incident.

Traffic travelling south on the F3 is currently congested with only one lane open.

Motorists are advised to use alternate routes or delay travelling in the area and should consult www.livetraffic.com.au for further information.

Detectives from the Sex Crimes Squad’s Child Exploitation Internet Unit have charged a Maitland man with a child pornography offence.

Police were conducting online operations while using the assumed identity of a woman with an 11-year-old daughter when they were contacted by a man.

It will be alleged the man took part in a number of conversations in which he discussed sexual activity with the 11-year-old child.

About 11.30am today (Thursday 13 August 2015), detectives arrested a 27-year-old man at a licensed premises in Maitland. A search warrant was executed upon accommodation at the hotel.

The local man was taken to Maitland Police Station where he was charged with using a carriage service for child pornography material.

He has been granted conditional bail to appear at Maitland Local Court on 7 September 2015.

Regular covert online investigations are conducted by the Child Exploitation Internet Unit, and police in NSW work closely with their law-enforcement colleagues interstate and overseas.

Anyone with information about internet predators should call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or use the Crime Stoppers online reporting page: https://www1.police.nsw.gov.au/.

Information you provide will be treated in the strictest of confidence. We remind people they should not report crime information via our Facebook and Twitter pages.

Meanwhile, police are again urging parents and children to be mindful of the dangers associated with the internet.

Safe internet use – tips for parents:

• Be aware of how much time your child spends on the internet.
• Spend time talking to your child about the dangers associated with online conversations.
• Spend time exploring the internet with your children and let them teach you about their favourite websites.
• Keep the computer in a room the whole family can access; not in your child’s bedroom.
• Consider installing filtering and/or computer blocking software provided by your internet service provider. The Netalert web page provides information on a number of commercially-available products at www.netalert.net.au.
• Ensure you are able to access your child’s email and randomly check the contents.
• Check your phone bill for unusual outgoing calls, or consider using a ‘caller ID’ device to identify incoming calls.
• Consult your telephone company for options designed to ensure privacy and security.
• Enquire with your child’s school, public library, and places they frequent, to find out what internet safety measures they have in place.
• Information on internet safety is available on the NSW Police website at: http://www.police.nsw.gov.au/community_issues/children/child_exploitation

Tips for children:

• Do not send a picture of yourself to anyone you don’t know and never place a full profile and picture anywhere on the internet.
• Never give out your personal information, including name, home address, phone number or school, over the internet.
• Never arrange a face-to-face meeting with someone you have chatted with on the internet.
• Tell your parents or another adult you know of any contact that makes you feel uncomfortable.
• Remember that pressing ‘send’ is definite and final – you can’t get it back or take it down.

Police have charged a teenage boy after a firearm was seized following a bag search in a shopping centre at Jesmond yesterday.

About 7am (Wednesday 5 August 2015), a business on Allowah Street, Waratah, was broken into by a male who allegedly threatened staff with a firearm and stole a number of items.

The male also allegedly stole a Toyota Camry sedan and left the area.

About 1.25pm yesterday (Wednesday 12 August), officers from Newcastle City Local Area Command were patrolling near a shopping centre on Newcastle Road, when a stolen Toyota Camry was sighted.

Police searched the shopping complex and a teenage boy was stopped and spoken to.

The boy was searched and officers allegedly located a shortened .22 bolt action rifle in his bag.

He was arrested and taken to Waratah Police Station.

The teen was charged with conveyance taken without consent of owner, never licensed persons drive vehicle on road, possess unauthorised prohibited firearm and not keep firearm safely.

He was bail refused and appeared at a Children’s Court today (Thursday 13 August 2015), where he was refused bail to reappear at a Children’s Court on Monday 7 September 2015.

Inquiries are continuing and investigators are appealing for anyone with information about the robbery to contact Crime Stoppers.

Police are investigating the armed robbery of a service station in the Hunter region.

About 8.30pm yesterday (Wednesday 12 August 2015), two men entered a service station on Main Road, Heddon Greta and threatened the attendant with a firearm and a metal bar, demanding cash.

A small amount of cash was given to the men before they ran from the scene. The attendant was uninjured.

One of the men is described as aged in his late teens, 170cm tall, brown hair and wearing a blue/silver coloured jumper and brown pants. He was armed with a metal bar.

The other male is described as aged in his late teens, 180cm tall, blonde hair and wearing a black jumper and jeans. He was armed with a small black handgun.

Both males had their face covered.

Police from Central Hunter Local Area Command and the Dog Squad attended however the offenders were not located.

A man has been charged after he allegedly exposed himself to two teenagers at Waratah yesterday.

About 4.30pm (Monday 11 August 2015), a girl and boy – both aged 14 – were with a group of friends on Station Street when a 34-year-old man approached them.

It’s alleged the man exposed himself to the pair before leaving the area.

The matter was reported to police from Newcastle City Local Area Command, who arrested the man later in the evening at his home.

He was charged with wilful and obscene exposure and granted strict conditional bail to appear before Newcastle Local Court on Thursday 27 August 2015.

Police radio transmissions will soon be encrypted in parts of the state’s north under new arrangements aimed at improving officer safety in the region.

The encryption process, which is expected to go-live mid-September, will affect digital radio across Central Hunter, Hunter Valley, Port Stephens and Manning Great Lakes Local Area Commands.

This follows the successful encryption of police digital radios across all commands in the Sydney metropolitan region, Newcastle and Wollongong seven years ago.

Northern Region Commander, Assistant Commissioner Jeff Loy, said the strategy represents an important step forward in ensuring the safety of police.

“Criminals will no longer be able to listen in on police radio transmissions to track emergency responses, which means we’re eliminating a significant risk to officer safety,” Assistant Commissioner Loy said.

“Policing can be a highly challenging and dangerous job and we’ll continue to develop and implement strategies that make their role as safe as possible.

“Encrypting radio transmissions not only means protecting our officers but also helping them solve and prevent crime,” Assistant Commissioner Loy said.

The change will also affect local media organisations as they’ll no longer have access to monitor police radio via scanners in newsrooms and vehicles.

“We will continue to assist media in the vital role they play in communicating information to the public that helps tackle crime,” Assistant Commissioner Loy said.

“To maintain this connection, we’ve developed the Police External Agencies Transfer System (PEATS), an internet feed that’s proved effective for a number of years in providing information on police activity, in place of radio transmissions.

“In addition, we’ll work with affected media organisations to ensure the new measures allow opportunities to attend operations of public significance,” Assistant Commissioner Loy said.

Police have charged a man following alleged predatory driving where a knife and pistol were used near Newcastle on the weekend.

About 3.30pm (Saturday 8 August 2015), two men, aged 25 and 41, entered a laneway near Joslin Street, Kotara, and met another man, aged 33.

An argument ensued and the 33-year-old allegedly threatened and chased the other two men with a knife. The two men ran away.

The older man entered his Toyota LandCruiser to get away and attempted to find the younger man.

The 33-year-old man with the knife allegedly entered his white Holden Commodore and followed the Toyota making threats to the driver.

A short time later the Holden allegedly drove onto the wrong side of Joslin Street into the path of a Nissan Navara, who then followed the Holden onto Bryson Avenue.

The Commodore then allegedly collided with the rear of the Toyota, before the 33-year-old stopped the car and approached the driver of the Nissan, a 27-year-old man.

The Holden driver then allegedly pointed a black pistol at the driver of the Nissan and his two passengers while making threats.

The 27-year-old drove the Nissan away from the location and police were called.

Officers from Newcastle Local Area Command attended the location and commenced a search for the Commodore driver, but were unable to locate him. No one was injured during the incident.

An investigation was commenced and today at 11am (Tuesday 11 August 2015), a 33-year-old man attended Toronto Police Station and was arrested.

He was charged with use offensive weapon with intent to commit indictable offence, affray, two counts of stalk/intimidate intend fear physical harm and predatory driving.

The man was refused bail and appeared at Toronto Local Court today. He remains in custody to reappear at Newcastle Local Court on Thursday 24 September 2015.