Mr Waldron said the axing of the four-man squad meant that there would be no specialist attention to agricultural based crimes, including the stealing of stock, fertiliser and fuel.

“It’s typical of the treatment received in rural communities today. We are deemed to be a lower priority and our services continue to decline,” Mr Waldron said.

“We have already lost a police presence in some rural towns with the closure last year of six country police stations and now further cutbacks reduce the level of policing even more.”

Mr Waldron refuted comments made by Police Commissioner Karl O’Callaghan that the service was not being removed but delivered in a different way.

“The same services cannot be delivered by fewer and fewer officers. Crime in rural communities still exists, there are simply less officers to do the police work,” he said.

“This is unfair on both the police officers and the rural communities. Once again, when a service needs to be cut back, it is the rural areas that suffer.”

Mr Waldron acknowledged that there were many problems requiring the attention of police but said that it was important to maintain services in regional areas.

He said the constant downgrading of services in regional areas was one reason for The Nationals’ decision to run as a independent party at the next State election and win the balance of power in the Parliament.

“Rebuilding country policing and providing incentives for essential workers in the regions is a core agenda for the Nationals and we’ll use our balance of power in the Parliament to force essential changes,” Mr Waldron said.