General News
28 October, 2025
Push for extra officer
MOVES to appoint a second police liaison officer (PLO) at Mossman are gathering pace.
The Mossman Community Harmony Working Group believes an extra PLO is urgent for the town.
The group has publicly acknowledged the contribution of the current PLO.
“With 14 years of experience, our current senior PLO is doing a great job and is making a genuine difference in Mossman,” a group representative said.
She said the officer’s work in the community was acknowledged at a recent Queensland Police Service (QPS) awards ceremony in Cairns.
“A few years ago, there were two PLOs based in Mossman. Since then, the remaining PLO has taken on the increased workload, as well as an additional range of duties and continues to perform his duties exceptionally well,” the spokeswoman said.
The group is now lobbying local MP David Kempton to support the appointment of a second PLO.
“PLOs perform quite a different role from uniformed officers,” the spokeswoman said.
“Increasing resources in this area, in conjunction with other community initiatives, will go a long way towards restoring harmony in our beautiful town.”
Mr Kempton said PLOs were of great benefit to Mossman.
“The connection between the community and police is really well served by police liaison officers, in particular with those issues that face Indigenous communities,” he said.
“This is something we are looking at. I have been talking to the Police Minister (Dan Purdie) about this and I hope to come back with a more positive response in that regard in the not-too-distant future.”
In February this year, the town saw a spike in anti-social behaviour, with groups of people gathering in the town centre late at night, engaging in excessive drinking, fighting and causing property damage.
As a result, more than 100 community members and local organisations met earlier this year to address the issues, resulting in the creation of the harmony working group.
Since its formation in April, the group has already achieved several important milestones.
In July, the group sought letters of support to accompany a council application for additional CCTV resources. This application was successful, thanks largely to the invaluable input provided by the officers-in-charge at Mossman and Port Douglas police stations.
“It provided key information about priority locations and helped substantiate the need for more security cameras across our Shire,” the spokeswoman said.
In addition, the group secured a $5000 grant from the Alcohol and Drug Foundation to fund a project officer who will lead the development of an action plan.
Read More: Port Douglas
