Police are appealing for public assistance after an explosion caused significant damage to a surf club in the Lake Macquarie region.
About 10pm (Tuesday 28 June 2016), there was an explosion in the public toilets of the Redhead Beach Surf Club.

The blast caused serious damage to the ceiling and roof of the premises and also caused a window to blow out.

Police attended and established a crime scene which was examined by forensic specialists.

Officers from Lake Macquarie Local Area Command are conducting inquiries.

Police are treating this as a hoodlum incident.

Anyone with information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

A man has been charged following a barricade incident in north-western Newcastle overnight.

Officers from Newcastle City Local Area Command were contacted by a man who was allegedly making threats from inside a unit complex on Station Street, Waratah, at about 11pm on Sunday (26 June 2016).

Upon arrival, the man allegedly armed himself with a knife and made threats towards officers.

Police secured a perimeter and with the assistance of Police Negotiators, the man surrendered himself to police at approximately 2am (27 June 2016).

No one was injured during the incident and no other persons were home at the time.

He was taken to the Mater Hospital for assessment and was later taken to Waratah Police Station where he was charged with the following offences:

-Use weapon to avoid apprehension;

-Threaten injury to persons with intent to prevent lawful detention; and

-Two counts of intimidate police.

He has been refused bail and is due to appear at Newcastle Local Court today (27 June 2016).

Police have charged a man after he was allegedly caught drink-driving twice in the same night, and assaulting police on the state’s north coast.

About 6.30pm (Thursday 23 June 2016), officers from Port Stephens Local Area Command stopped a vehicle being driven by a 40-year-old man, in Anna Bay.

The man was subjected to a roadside breath test providing a positive result.

He was arrested and taken to Nelson Bay Police Station where he submitted to a breath analysis giving a reading of 0.148.

He was issued with a summons to appear in court and was driven back to his home address in Anna Bay under instructions not to drive.

About 10pm (Thursday 23 June 2016) police will allege the man ordered a taxi to take him back to his vehicle.

Police will allege that he failed to pay the taxi driver, and got into his vehicle and started driving.

Police pulled the vehicle over for a second time, with the 40-year-old allegedly driving, this time on Gan Gan Road, Anna Bay.

He allegedly provided a positive roadside breath test, and a reading of 0.206 when submitted to a breath analysis.

He was charged with high-range drink driving and informed that his licence was suspended and his car keys were confiscated.

Officers will allege that the man became aggressive and assaulted one of the officers.

He was charged with high-range PCA, drive while licence suspended, assault and resist police, and hirer not pay authorised fare on termination of hiring.

He will appear in Raymond Terrace Local Court on Monday 18 July 2016.

A man has been charged after police located and dismantled an alleged hydroponics setup inside a home at Mayfield yesterday.

About 1.45pm (Thursday 23 June 2016), officers from Newcastle City Local Area Command executed a search warrant at a home on Carrington Street.

A 66-year-old resident was stopped leaving the house. Police searched the man and his vehicle and allegedly located cash and cannabis inside his car.

On searching the home, police allegedly located an amount of cannabis, and a hydroponic setup in three bedrooms.

Engineers were contacted to disable the building’s electricity supply when it was discovered the electricity distribution board had been allegedly tampered with.

The drugs and other items were seized and will undergo forensic examinations.

A 66-year-old man was arrested and taken to Newcastle Police Station where he was charged with:

– Cultivate prohibited plant (commercial quantity);

– Supply prohibited drug (commercial quantity);

– Possess prohibited drug;

– Person found on drug premises;

– Goods in custody (deal with suspected proceeds of crime); and

– Alter or add to electricity installation.

He was refused bail to appear at Newcastle Local Court today (Friday 24 June 2016).

Police searching for a missing Newcastle man have located a body at Stockton.

Emergency services were called to Fullerton Street about 11.45am today (Wednesday 22 June 2016), after a member of the public located a man’s body at the edge of the water.

Officers from Newcastle City Local Area Command attended and retrieved the body.

While the body is yet to be formally identified, it’s believed to be a 20-year-old man who went missing last Thursday (16 June 2016).

The man’s family has been notified.

His death isn’t being treated as suspicious and police will prepare a report for the Coroner.

A man will face court today charged over alleged sexual assaults of a young girl more than a decade ago in the Hunter Region.

Earlier this year, detectives from the Child Abuse Squad commenced an investigation into the alleged sexual assault of a 10-year-old girl by a man known to her at Newcastle in 2004.

Following extensive inquiries, a 51-year-old man was arrested at Waratah Police Station yesterday (Tuesday 21 June 2016).

He was charged with two counts of aggravated indecent assault – victim under the age of 16, and three counts of sexual assault – victim under the age of 16.

He has been refused bail to appear at Newcastle Local Court today (Wednesday 22 June 2016).

The Child Abuse Squad is comprised of detectives who are specially trained to investigate crimes against children, including sexual assault, physical abuse and serious cases of neglect.

Anyone with concerns about suspected child abuse or exploitation should call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or use the Crime Stoppers online reporting page: https://www1.police.nsw.gov.au/. Reports can also be made to the Child Protection Helpline on 132 111.

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

Police have charged three men following the execution of a search warrant in Newcastle yesterday.

About 8.40pm on Sunday 19 June 2016, officers from Newcastle City Local Area Command attended a home on Irving Street, Wallsend, and executed a search warrant.

Police allegedly located a hydroponic system containing 129 cannabis plants inside the home and 132 cut cannabis plants and leaf inside a van parked on the driveway of the premises.

Following further inquiries, about 4.10pm yesterday (Sunday 19 June 2016), police arrested a 32-year-old man; a 24-year-old man and a 48-year-old man where they were taken to Newcastle Police Station.

They were charged with cultivate prohibited plant, greater than commercial quantity and possess prohibited plant.

All three men were refused bail to appear at Newcastle Local Court on (Monday 27 June 2016).

Inquiries are continuing.

A man was critically injured after being hit by a car at Fern Bay, near Port Stephens, overnight.

About 7pm (Friday 17 June 2017), emergency services attended Nelson Bay Road after receiving reports a man had been hit by a car.

It appears a Toyota sedan travelling north on Nelson Bay Road struck the man as he was walking along the road in the same direction.

The driver of the car stopped and rendered assistance until the arrival of Ambulance Paramedics. The man was taken to John Hunter Hospital and remains in a critical condition.

The driver of the car was subjected to mandatory blood and urine testing.

A crime scene was established and investigations are continuing.

A teenager has suffered critical head injuries after being struck by a car while crossing the road in Lambton overnight.

About 1.30am (Saturday 18 June 2016), a 16-year-old boy was crossing at the intersection of Griffith Road and Acacia Avenue when he was struck by a vehicle travelling on Griffiths Road.

The boy suffered critical head injuries and was taken to John Hunter Hospital where he remains in a critical condition.

The driver of the vehicle, who stopped and rendered assistance, was also taken to hospital for mandatory blood and urine tests.

Officers from Newcastle City will continue their investigations and would like to speak with anyone who may have witnessed the crash.

Anyone with information should contact officers at Waratah Police Station on (02) 4926 6599.

Police are appealing for public assistance to help locate a man missing in Newcastle since early yesterday morning.

About 1.30am (Thursday 16 June 2016), the 20-year-old Jackson Baker was with his girlfriend at a nightclub on Centennary Road, when he left the location alone.

When his girlfriend failed to contact him the next day, she contacted police.

Officers attached to Newcastle City Local Area Command commenced a search for Jackson; however he has not been seen or heard from since.

Jackson’s family and police hold concerns for his welfare, as his disappearance is out of character.

Jackson is described as being of Caucasian appearance, about 180cm tall, with brown short hair.

He was last seen wearing a green jacket, a grey and dark green striped t-shirt, cream trousers and grey ‘Nike’ shoes.

Police are following a number of lines of inquiry, including whether Jackson may have gone swimming alone in Newcastle Harbour in the early hours of Thursday morning.

Anyone who knows of Jackson’s whereabouts is urged to contact Newcastle City Police via Crime Stoppers.