A retired senior naval officer says stronger security measures need to be in place at local war memorials in the lead up to the 100th anniversary of Anzac Day to prevent opportunistic vandals.
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Forster man Murray Baker has raised the issue in a letter to Great Lakes Council and Manning-Great Lakes Local Area Command.
Mr Baker said council should be looking at implementing some form of basic security to protect local memorials from being repeatedly desecrated.
His concerns come just days after a war memorial in Wollongong had a large chunk knocked off a granite pillar and offensive graffiti scrawled on another a day before an Anzac ceremony last weekend.
“This ongoing vandalism is seen by many of us and the public as a personal insult to those of us who dedicated ourselves to the service of our country and an outrageous and unacceptable insult to those who died in the service to our country and their surviving descendants,” Mr Baker said.
“The responsible regional authorities need to realise the need to change from being reactive to going proactive, to stop it sooner rather than later.
“I believe council needs to initiate a stance against the perpetrators by aiming to identify, apprehend and prosecute them.”
Mr Baker said to “neglect the responsibility on this very special occasion is simply inviting further ongoing desecration.”
Great Lakes mayor Jan McWilliams said she had received Mr Baker’s letter and had met with council’s general manager Glenn Handford and the director of engineering services Ron Hartley to discuss the issue.
Cr McWilliams said security measures would be implemented in the days leading up to Anzac commemorations in Tuncurry.
“We will have security guards patrolling the area around the memorial two days before Anzac Day,” the mayor said.
“We feel that by taking precautionary measures we will be able to solve the problem if this was going to be anything.”
Manning Great Lakes Local Area Command inspector Tony Power said extra police would be patrolling the region in the lead up to Anzac Day.
“Extra police and car crews will be tasked and there will be night patrols leading up to Anzac Day to keep an eye on memorials,” Inspector Power said.
“We will also have a number of extra police stepping up patrols on the day itself around memorials, attending a number of services and patrolling licensed premises.”