SUPERINTENDENT Charles Haggart has assured the community that the Port Stephens Local Area Command is working hard to manage crime in Tea Gardens Hawks Nest, with the resources made available to him.
A community meeting staged on Wednesday night called for a stronger police presence in the twin towns.
Member for Port Stephens Craig Baumann also attended the meeting which saw about 160 residents turn up to voice their concerns.
The main issues raised by the community were reports of drunken and anti-social behaviour on weekends, with people calling for a stronger presence during the early hours of the morning.
Hotspots for antisocial behavior include along Beach Rd, Marine Drive and The Singing Bridge.
Some residents were unsatisfied with police response in a range of circumstances.
A local resort employee said the pool area of the complex had been vandalised early one morning by a group of people who had thrown lumps of concrete into the pool and broken pool furniture.
After calling police, the employee said police failed to attend or make a follow up call.
While Superintendent Haggart said he was disappointed to learn that, he agreed that there should have been at least a phone call.
He admitted that if there was something more serious happening elsewhere, police response was likely to be delayed.
With eight stations in the command, Superintendent Haggart said it's a juggle trying to get the right mix in the right location.
"I will always do my best with what I've got," he said.
While there was no indication that a second police officer will be stationed in Tea Gardens as seen in the past, Member for Port Stephens Craig Baumann said the first thing the State opposition will do, if elected, is re-empower police.
"Police are doing the best job they can with what they've got," Mr Baumann said.
"The biggest problem is we are losing too many experienced policemen and they are not being replaced quickly enough."
Superintendent Haggart dispelled any suggestions that there is a drug problem in the area.
"There isn't a lot of intelligence to say there is a major drug problem."
Convenor of the meeting Warwick Nichols said the campaign for a stronger police presence would continue, with a committee to be formed in the near future.
Superintendent Haggart stressed the importance of reporting crime, saying that when making decisions to distribute resources it was statistics that spoke the loudest.
"If we don't know about it, then we can't fix it. We make decisions based on what is reported," Superintendent Haggart said.
Mr Nichols said since starting the campaign he had come across a gross under-reporting of crime.
Incidents and non-emergencies can be reported by calling the police assistance line on 131 444.
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