Shadow Minister for Inter-Governmental Relations and the member for Terrigal, Chris Hartcher, said Premier Kristina Keneally should apologise for local councils again being forced to cover for her failures.

He said reports that NSW councils were spending ratepayers' money on private security guards and police resources demonstrated that the citizens of NSW were being forced to pay for NSW Labor’s incompetence.

“Cost shifting not only remains unabated, but is actually gaining momentum,” Mr Hartcher said.

“The latest figures from the NSW Local Government and Shires Association reveal the annual impact of cost shifting by the NSW Labor Government on local government, in 2007-2008, was $431 million or about 6 per cent of councils’ income.

“Anecdotal evidence and media reports suggest a good portion of this money is being spent hiring private security guards to police areas which should be patrolled by uniform NSW Police or to remove graffiti in areas where police don’t have the resources to maintain regular patrols.

“It’s an insult to councils, to police, to the private security guards who should not be patrolling crime hot-spots without adequate resources or responsibilities.”

He said the recent closure of police stations, including Kincumber, had compounded the litany of services shifted to local government, without the necessary funding or the conferral of matching revenue-raising capacity.

“In my own Terrigal electorate, the State Labor Government spent $1.13 million of taxpayers’ money to build a police station in Kincumber. Although it was built to house 14 officers, it was a ‘Claytons’ police station with only one officer, who had no car, didn’t have a gun and could only answer over-the-counter queries,”

Mr Hartcher said.

“The State Labor Government subsequently closed, then sold-off the Kincumber Police Station.

“Now residents have a feeling of deja vu with the downgrading and potential closure of Terrigal Police Station, in a suburb where private security guards already have to keep an eye on the streets surrounding social venues when police aren’t around."