MOREE residents were offered the opportunity to see how various parts of the Moree police station work during Saturday morning’s open day.

Barwon Local Area Commander Superintendent Gelina Talbot said the event was mainly about breaking down the barriers between the community and police.

“We want to try and do something like this every year,” she said.

“It’s about building the relationship between us and the community and removing a little bit of that stigma that exists.

“It’s about letting the community know what we do and we’re here to help.”

Superintendent Talbot said she was pleased by the amount of young children who attended the open day.

“It was great to see and (police mascot) Constable Charlie was a big hit,” she said.

Other emergency services such as the fire brigade and the ambulance service were also part of the day, which superintendent Talbot said was another positive.

“It was great to see all the emergency services as a collective in the one place because we do work together,” she said.

Throughout the morning different groups were taken on guided tours and resident Suzy Simpson said the day gave her a way of learning new things.

 “We home school so it’s a good opportunity to get to know the community,” she said.

Her son, Noah, was one of many children who were allowed to sit in the driver’s seat of a highway patrol vehicle.

“Maybe I will be a police officer one day, but I’m not sure,” he said.

Another resident could be overheard saying, “it’s the first and last time I’ll be here – I’m going to be good for the rest of my life!”