Women Charged Over Adamstown Fire

BY OLIVIA DILLON

 

A woman has been arrested and charged, following a suspicious fire at Adamstown last year.

Emergency services were called to a property on Dibbs Steet at about 4:30am on Tuesday the 26th of April, following reports of a fire.

Upon arrival, police found a number of vehicles alight, with fire spreading to a nearby three-bedroom house.

Several vehicles and the house were destroyed, however, no one was injured as a result of the blaze.

A crime scene was established and detectives established Strike Force Tinebank to investigate.

Following inquiries, police arrested a 27-year-old woman at Thomas Street in Cardiff, at about 11:30am yesterday. 

 

The woman's been charged with several offences, including destroying property in company using fire, possession of prohibited drugs, and custody of a knife in a public place. 

  

She was refused bail to appear before Newcastle Local Court today. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Staff Intimidated By Thief At Kotara Tool Store

BY IAN CROUCH

Newcastle Police are searching for a man and an accomplice involved in a brazen stealing and intimidation of staff at a Kotara tool shop.

A man walked into the Sydney Tools store on Northcott Drive at about 5.00pm on Wednesday and grabbed a Milwaukee Nail Gun valued at $699 from a display case and ran off.

Two male staff members aged 23 and 30 gave chase and caught up with the man in a nearby car park but he turned and told them he would stab them with a syringe.

He was joined by another male and the pair fled.

Police Officer Assaulted At Hamilton

BY IAN CROUCH

A man is due to face court accused of assaulting a police officer in Hamilton overnight.

Officers were called to Beaumont Street around 11.00pm on Monday to reports an intoxicated man was behaving in an offensive manner outside the Hamilton Station Hotel.

Police say they directed him to move on and he initially complied but then returned and swore at the officers and refused to move on.

They arrested the 44-year-old and were assisting him into a caged vehicle when it's alleged he punched a Senior Constable in the face.

The man's been granted conditional bail to face Newcastle Local Court on 6 August 2020 charged with continue intoxicated behaviour after move on direction and assault police in the execution of their duty.

The officer sustained only a minor injury. 

Six New Police Foot Patrolling Hunter Streets

ISABEL EVERETT

Extra police will be out in force on the Hunter's and Central Coast's streets, with six new officers posted at Newcastle Police Station to perform foot patrols of the region.

The new officers are part of a high-visibility police unit and will be patrolling areas across Newcastle City, Lake Macquarie, Port Stephens, Hunter Valley, Tuggerah Lakes and Brisbane Water.

The officers commenced their first foot patrols last week, targeting a range of offences including drug and alcohol related incidents.

"We still have too many assaults that are alcohol related, so they'll be working with licensing police in the local area as well," Northern Region Assistant Commissioner Max Mitchell said.

The Northern High-Visibility Police (HVP) Unit will also focus on entertainment hot spots throughout the region, including areas like Beaumont street and the Newcastle CBD.

 "We have a lot of events now in the wider Newcastle and Central coast area so where we have large areas of crowds gathering, what we want is this unit rolled out with other police," AC Mitchell said.

"People wanna feel safe and secure and this is what this teams primary focus is about."

The officers will be specifically trained in intelligence gathering, so they can proactively identify conflicts ranging from local level issues to more serious incidents.

AC Mitchell says the high-visibility teams will be a reassuring presence, playing a key role in disrupting crime and anti-social behavior.

"High-visibility policing is a crucial element of regional policing – we want our communities to know we are there in numbers to protect and support them 24/7."

“The Northern HVP Unit will have the ability to be deployed wherever our demand and need is. They are highly-skilled and available to engage with the public – we want you to come up and talk to them, tell them what is happening in your neighborhood."

“By targeting crime with more boots on the ground and in a highly-visible manner, it’s hoped offenders will have second thoughts before breaking the law,” AC Mitchell said.

The Unit will be patrolling crime hotspots, roads, transport networks, local neighborhoods, and planned events.

Police Investigate Armed Robbery At Mayfield Service Station

BY IAN CROUCH

Police are investigating an armed robbery at a Mayfield service station.

A man entered the 7-11 on Maitland Road at about 5.00pm on Sunday and threatened the console operator with a knife.

Police say the man was handed an amount of cash before leaving the store.

He's described as being in his 40's, about 178 centimetres tall with a stocky build.

He was wearing a light coloured jumper, blue jeans and a baseball cap and had his face covered.

No-one was injured during the incident.

Newcastle Police Issue Warning About Phone Scam

BY IAN CROUCH

Newcastle Police are urging residents not to be taken in by a phone scam doing the rounds.

Scammers are calling claiming to be from the Tax Office or NSW Police, saying an outstanding bill or debt is owed and threatening the person with arrest unless it's paid immediately.

The calls appear to be genuine as the caller ID shows the number of the local police station.

Police say it is unclear how the scammers are utilising the actual number.

Police say neither the tax office or police call people to make demands for payment and we shouldn't be duped into passing over personal information or transferring money over the phone.

Police say the Australian Tax Office will never:
• threaten you with immediate arrest
• ask you to pay money to receive a refund or payment from us
• ask you to pay a debt via iTunes vouchers, or pre-paid credit card or store gift cards
• ask you to provide personal information, such as your tax file number (TFN) or credit card number, via email or SMS
• ask you to pay money into a personal bank account
• direct you to download files from the internet, or open attachments in unsolicited emails.

Further information can be found by clicking on the following link.
https://www.ato.gov.au/general/online-services/identity-security/verify-or-report-a-scam/

SCAMWATCH has provided the following advice on how to protect yourself.

Protect yourself:
• If you receive a phone call out of the blue from someone claiming to be a representative of Telstra and their call relates to a problem with your internet connection, just hang up.
• If you have doubts about the identity of any caller who claims to represent a business, organisation or government department, contact the body directly. Don’t rely on contact details provided by the person – find them through an independent source such as a phone book or online search.
• Remember that you can still receive scam calls even if you have a private number or have listed your number on the Australian Government’s Do Not Call Register (link is external). Scammers can obtain your number fraudulently or from anywhere it has been publicly listed such as in a phone book.
• Don’t let scammers press your buttons – scammers use detailed scripts to convince you that they’re the real deal and create a high-pressure situation to make a decision on the spot.
• Always keep your computer security up to date with anti-virus and anti-spyware software, and a good firewall. Only buy computer and anti-virus software from a reputable source.
• Never give your personal, credit card or online account details over the phone unless you made the call and the phone number came from a trusted source.
• Never give a stranger remote access to your computer, even if they claim to be from a reputable business.
• If you think your computer’s security has been compromised, use your security software to run a virus check. If you still have doubts, contact your anti-virus software provider or a computer specialist.
• If you think you have provided your account details to a scammer, contact your bank or financial institution immediately.

Report:
• If you have lost money as a result of this type of scam, please report the matter to your local Police Station.
• You can also report scams to the ACCC via SCAMWATCH or report a scam page or by calling 1300 795 995.

Man Arrested Over Cooks Hill Carjacking

BY IAN CROUCH

A couple have been the victims of a terrifying carjacking at Cooks Hill.

They were travelling down Darby Street in their Mercedes at about 7.00pm on Monday night when an object was thrown at the car.

The male driver pulled over and chased the alleged culprit, a 32-year-old man, who police say dropped handbags he'd earlier stolen during a break-in.

The victim stopped to pick up the property before returning to his car to find the offender had dragged his partner from the drivers seat and driven off.

He was later identified by police and arrested in the vicinity of Darby Street and is due to face court today.

The car was a recovered in nearby Bruce Street.