New top cop for Grafton

New blood: Inspector Murray Gillett took up the position of duty officer at Grafton police station in September.

GRAFTON police station's new duty officer, Inspector Murray Gillett, has hit the ground running in his new position and said he looked forward to working in the Clarence Valley community.

Insp Gillett took up his new position at the station late last month after moving from his previous role as duty officer in the Griffith area in southern NSW.

Insp Gillett, who has settled with his wife in the Grafton area, said he was looking forward to a new set of challenges in the Clarence Valley.

“Believe it or not, I was born in Grafton many years ago, so it's like revisiting a bit of my heritage,” Insp Gillett said.

“I'm very keen to work in this community and can see some good challenges ahead for us.”

Insp Gillett said he left the Grafton area at a young age, was schooled in Newcastle and began his career in the police force in Sydney more than 23 years ago.

Since then, he's served in a number of country areas in NSW, the Australian Bureau of Criminal Investigation in Canberra and as an instructor at the NSW Police Academy in the area of intelligence training.

Insp Gillett said he would bring experience, dedication and a fresh set of skills to the role.

“I've had a commitment to the community of NSW since I joined the police force,” he said.

“I think certainly my motivation, my commitment, is towards our state plan to reduce crime; that's where I'm heading and I see some real opportunities here in the community to do that.”

Insp Gillett said he would also bring experience in working with diverse communities and said he planned to meet with and work closely with Aboriginal elders from the Clarence Valley area.

He said he planned to meet with local councillors and state and federal MPs and would be working closely with local liquor licensees.

The role Insp Gillett was taking on would involve taking responsibility for the Clarence Valley area within the Coffs-Clarence Local Area Command (LAC) and he said he was looking forward to working alongside other staff from the local police force.

“I think the team here is a fantastic group of people right across this area,” he said.

“There's no doubt over a number of years they've struggled with staffing issues, but we see certainly a light at the end of the tunnel.”