OVER the past week, the Port Stephens Hunter Police District has been hard at work with a number of notable events.

Search for AJ

Throughout the week the NSW Police Force, Port Stephens Hunter Police District and SES worked together to locate three-year-old AJ Elfalak, who has been missing for four days at a property in the Hunter Region.

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EJ was located on a nearby riverbank by PolAir following a large-scale search.

Identifying Protesters

Investigations are also underway to identify a number of individuals who attended an unauthorised protest activity outside the Port Stephens Council Chambers on 31 August.

“We continue to appeal to the community to report suspected breaches of any public health order or behaviour which may impact the health and safety of the community by contacting crime stoppers,” a representative told News Of The Area.

A 57-year-old man has been charged after assaulting an officer in this unauthorised protest.

This man allegedly pushed a male officer during his arrest, however, the officer was not injured.

The man was released on conditional bail as is to appear in Raymond Terrace Local Court on Monday 1 November 2021.

Test Message Scam

An ongoing scam is targeting community members via text message with messages regarding pending packages or package collection.

Police are urging residents to not click the link attached in these messages as it will download malware and give scammers access to your phone.

Information should be reported to Scamwatch.

Rural Road Safety Month

September is Rural Road Safety Month, and police are reminding rural residents to slow down and choose road safety, with 70% of crashes on country roads involving country residents due to the overconfidence and lower perception of risks under the belief that local residents are more familiar with the roads they are on.

Lockdown

Stay-at-home orders are still in place for the Port Stephens Region until the Monday after NSW reaches its 70% double-vaccinated target, however MidCoast region lockdown has been lifted.

“I encourage our broader communities to continue with the vaccination uptakes in your local area and together we can get out of these, stay at home orders as soon as possible,” Detective Superintendent Chad Gillies said.

Since 1 July 2021, the Port Stephens Hunter Police District has issued just under 600 penalty infringement notices regarding stay-at-home breaches, with 65 in the past week.

World Suicide Prevention Day

On 10 September, World Suicide Prevention Day, Port Stephens-Hunter Police District observed a minute’s silence to remember those who have passed away by suicide.

To report breaches of public health orders, visit https://crimestoppers.com.au/.

To report scams, visit ScamWatch: https://www.scamwatch.gov.au/.

By Tara CAMPBELL