NSW Police has warned residents of regional NSW to plan ahead and expect a different holiday experience over summer this year.
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Operation Summer Safe is a high-visibility police operation to run over the Spring school holidays and the following summer months throughout regional NSW.
It will focus on policing licensed premises, public spaces and entertainment precincts to decrease anti-social behaviour and alcohol-related violence, while also ensuring adherence to current COVID-19 Public Health Orders.
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"We are all aware of the additional risks that the COVID-19 pandemic poses, with tens of thousands of people moving about the state and the additional risk of community transmission ever present," the northern region commander, Assistant Commissioner Max Mitchell APM, said.
"We must not forget that the virus doesn't follow borders restrictions and hotspot declaration and - when families take a holiday closer to home this year - we have to keep our regional citizens in mind."
But police are ready for the influx of visitors to southern NSW in the coming months, the southern region commander, Acting Assistant Commissioner Dean Smith APM, said
"We know people are looking forward visiting the Illawarra, South Coast and our regional towns, in particular to support our South Coast towns that were devastated by bushfires earlier this year," he said.
"We certainly want people to enjoy themselves and everything that our region has to offer, but in a responsible and considerate manner.
"We will have additional police tasked to patrol our tourist towns, so expect to see a highly-visible police presence."
Road safety will also be a focus of Operation Summer Safe, with double demerits part of the first phase of the operation.