❓ The Minister outlines measures to combat crime on Perth buses, including a transit violence strategy, Operation Busted, patrols, surveillance, and DNA sample training for bus drivers.
AnsweredQoN 542Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
As part of the Gallop government’s crackdown on crime on Perth’s buses, will the minister outline what measures she is taking to counteract criminal and antisocial behaviour and to make bus drivers and passengers safer? Mrs M.H. ROBERTS
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member for Peel for the question and for his concern for the safety of his constituents who travel on buses. This government is targeting violent and antisocial behaviour on our buses because that type of behaviour puts at risk the safety of passengers and bus drivers. The government has recently developed a transit violence strategy in conjunction with the Office of Crime Prevention, the Police Service, the Department for Planning and Infrastructure, bus companies and the Transport Workers’ Union. Together we have devised a number of strategies that we are now implementing. Recently I announced that as part of the successful Operation Busted, the police had caught 88 offenders. That campaign is ongoing and the police are continuing to catch more offenders. The overall strategy includes patrols, electronic surveillance and the like. Only last weekend I announced the next stage of that ongoing strategy, which is to provide specialist training for bus drivers in the taking and preserving of DNA samples that can be used as evidence before a court. This initiative is an Australian first. If a bus driver is spat on, which sadly happens all too frequently, he can use a swab to take a sample of the saliva and then seal it in a container to preserve it. The sample is then taken to a police station and can be used as evidence. One of the bus drivers who attended the announcement on Saturday had been spat on in the past month. Bus drivers are being trained in how to take that type of DNA sample, and they are being trained also in how to preserve the evidence. Notes are provided with the kit to explain the procedure. Similarly, if a person was assaulted on a bus, DNA evidence could be collected from a passenger and the samples taken could be matched against the DNA database. Even if the DNA sample did not match any of the samples on the database, it would be kept on the database so that if the same person reoffended in the future, the DNA sample that had been collected could be used to charge the offender with the earlier offence. This kit is an excellent tool for bus drivers that they and the TWU have welcomed. Unlike members of the chamber, some members of the community are unaware that bus drivers are regarded as public officers under the Criminal Code. Therefore, offences such as assault against bus drivers carry heavy penalties. The maximum penalty for assaulting a bus driver is 10 years imprisonment. We are assisting bus drivers and the community to stamp out antisocial behaviour on buses. It is our firm belief that some of the young thugs who are causing problems on the buses are the same people who are causing problems in other community forums. If we can catch them on the buses, we will be able to prevent them from engaging in similar behaviour in other areas of the community.
Mrs M.H. ROBERTS replied: I thank the member for Peel for the question and for his concern for the safety of his constituents who travel on buses. This government is targeting violent and antisocial behaviour on our buses because that type of behaviour puts at risk the safety of passengers and bus drivers. The government has recently developed a transit violence strategy in conjunction with the Office of Crime Prevention, the Police Service, the Department for Planning and Infrastructure, bus companies and the Transport Workers’ Union. Together we have devised a number of strategies that we are now implementing. Recently I announced that as part of the successful Operation Busted, the police had caught 88 offenders. That campaign is ongoing and the police are continuing to catch more offenders. The overall strategy includes patrols, electronic surveillance and the like. Only last weekend I announced the next stage of that ongoing strategy, which is to provide specialist training for bus drivers in the taking and preserving of DNA samples that can be used as evidence before a court. This initiative is an Australian first. If a bus driver is spat on, which sadly happens all too frequently, he can use a swab to take a sample of the saliva and then seal it in a container to preserve it. The sample is then taken to a police station and can be used as evidence. One of the bus drivers who attended the announcement on Saturday had been spat on in the past month. Bus drivers are being trained in how to take that type of DNA sample, and they are being trained also in how to preserve the evidence. Notes are provided with the kit to explain the procedure. Similarly, if a person was assaulted on a bus, DNA evidence could be collected from a passenger and the samples taken could be matched against the DNA database. Even if the DNA sample did not match any of the samples on the database, it would be kept on the database so that if the same person reoffended in the future, the DNA sample that had been collected could be used to charge the offender with the earlier offence. This kit is an excellent tool for bus drivers that they and the TWU have welcomed. Unlike members of the chamber, some members of the community are unaware that bus drivers are regarded as public officers under the Criminal Code. Therefore, offences such as assault against bus drivers carry heavy penalties. The maximum penalty for assaulting a bus driver is 10 years imprisonment. We are assisting bus drivers and the community to stamp out antisocial behaviour on buses. It is our firm belief that some of the young thugs who are causing problems on the buses are the same people who are causing problems in other community forums. If we can catch them on the buses, we will be able to prevent them from engaging in similar behaviour in other areas of the community.
I thank the member for Peel for the question and for his concern for the safety of his constituents who travel on buses. This government is targeting violent and antisocial behaviour on our buses because that type of behaviour puts at risk the safety of passengers and bus drivers. The government has recently developed a transit violence strategy in conjunction with the Office of Crime Prevention, the Police Service, the Department for Planning and Infrastructure, bus companies and the Transport Workers’ Union. Together we have devised a number of strategies that we are now implementing. Recently I announced that as part of the successful Operation Busted, the police had caught 88 offenders. That campaign is ongoing and the police are continuing to catch more offenders. The overall strategy includes patrols, electronic surveillance and the like. Only last weekend I announced the next stage of that ongoing strategy, which is to provide specialist training for bus drivers in the taking and preserving of DNA samples that can be used as evidence before a court. This initiative is an Australian first. If a bus driver is spat on, which sadly happens all too frequently, he can use a swab to take a sample of the saliva and then seal it in a container to preserve it. The sample is then taken to a police station and can be used as evidence. One of the bus drivers who attended the announcement on Saturday had been spat on in the past month. Bus drivers are being trained in how to take that type of DNA sample, and they are being trained also in how to preserve the evidence. Notes are provided with the kit to explain the procedure. Similarly, if a person was assaulted on a bus, DNA evidence could be collected from a passenger and the samples taken could be matched against the DNA database. Even if the DNA sample did not match any of the samples on the database, it would be kept on the database so that if the same person reoffended in the future, the DNA sample that had been collected could be used to charge the offender with the earlier offence. This kit is an excellent tool for bus drivers that they and the TWU have welcomed. Unlike members of the chamber, some members of the community are unaware that bus drivers are regarded as public officers under the Criminal Code. Therefore, offences such as assault against bus drivers carry heavy penalties. The maximum penalty for assaulting a bus driver is 10 years imprisonment. We are assisting bus drivers and the community to stamp out antisocial behaviour on buses. It is our firm belief that some of the young thugs who are causing problems on the buses are the same people who are causing problems in other community forums. If we can catch them on the buses, we will be able to prevent them from engaging in similar behaviour in other areas of the community.
Only last weekend I announced the next stage of that ongoing strategy, which is to provide specialist training for bus drivers in the taking and preserving of DNA samples that can be used as evidence before a court. This initiative is an Australian first. If a bus driver is spat on, which sadly happens all too frequently, he can use a swab to take a sample of the saliva and then seal it in a container to preserve it. The sample is then taken to a police station and can be used as evidence. One of the bus drivers who attended the announcement on Saturday had been spat on in the past month. Bus drivers are being trained in how to take that type of DNA sample, and they are being trained also in how to preserve the evidence. Notes are provided with the kit to explain the procedure. Similarly, if a person was assaulted on a bus, DNA evidence could be collected from a passenger and the samples taken could be matched against the DNA database. Even if the DNA sample did not match any of the samples on the database, it would be kept on the database so that if the same person reoffended in the future, the DNA sample that had been collected could be used to charge the offender with the earlier offence. This kit is an excellent tool for bus drivers that they and the TWU have welcomed. Unlike members of the chamber, some members of the community are unaware that bus drivers are regarded as public officers under the Criminal Code. Therefore, offences such as assault against bus drivers carry heavy penalties. The maximum penalty for assaulting a bus driver is 10 years imprisonment. We are assisting bus drivers and the community to stamp out antisocial behaviour on buses. It is our firm belief that some of the young thugs who are causing problems on the buses are the same people who are causing problems in other community forums. If we can catch them on the buses, we will be able to prevent them from engaging in similar behaviour in other areas of the community.
This kit is an excellent tool for bus drivers that they and the TWU have welcomed. Unlike members of the chamber, some members of the community are unaware that bus drivers are regarded as public officers under the Criminal Code. Therefore, offences such as assault against bus drivers carry heavy penalties. The maximum penalty for assaulting a bus driver is 10 years imprisonment. We are assisting bus drivers and the community to stamp out antisocial behaviour on buses. It is our firm belief that some of the young thugs who are causing problems on the buses are the same people who are causing problems in other community forums. If we can catch them on the buses, we will be able to prevent them from engaging in similar behaviour in other areas of the community.
Mrs M.H. ROBERTS replied: I thank the member for Peel for the question and for his concern for the safety of his constituents who travel on buses. This government is targeting violent and antisocial behaviour on our buses because that type of behaviour puts at risk the safety of passengers and bus drivers. The government has recently developed a transit violence strategy in conjunction with the Office of Crime Prevention, the Police Service, the Department for Planning and Infrastructure, bus companies and the Transport Workers’ Union. Together we have devised a number of strategies that we are now implementing. Recently I announced that as part of the successful Operation Busted, the police had caught 88 offenders. That campaign is ongoing and the police are continuing to catch more offenders. The overall strategy includes patrols, electronic surveillance and the like. Only last weekend I announced the next stage of that ongoing strategy, which is to provide specialist training for bus drivers in the taking and preserving of DNA samples that can be used as evidence before a court. This initiative is an Australian first. If a bus driver is spat on, which sadly happens all too frequently, he can use a swab to take a sample of the saliva and then seal it in a container to preserve it. The sample is then taken to a police station and can be used as evidence. One of the bus drivers who attended the announcement on Saturday had been spat on in the past month. Bus drivers are being trained in how to take that type of DNA sample, and they are being trained also in how to preserve the evidence. Notes are provided with the kit to explain the procedure. Similarly, if a person was assaulted on a bus, DNA evidence could be collected from a passenger and the samples taken could be matched against the DNA database. Even if the DNA sample did not match any of the samples on the database, it would be kept on the database so that if the same person reoffended in the future, the DNA sample that had been collected could be used to charge the offender with the earlier offence. This kit is an excellent tool for bus drivers that they and the TWU have welcomed. Unlike members of the chamber, some members of the community are unaware that bus drivers are regarded as public officers under the Criminal Code. Therefore, offences such as assault against bus drivers carry heavy penalties. The maximum penalty for assaulting a bus driver is 10 years imprisonment. We are assisting bus drivers and the community to stamp out antisocial behaviour on buses. It is our firm belief that some of the young thugs who are causing problems on the buses are the same people who are causing problems in other community forums. If we can catch them on the buses, we will be able to prevent them from engaging in similar behaviour in other areas of the community.
I thank the member for Peel for the question and for his concern for the safety of his constituents who travel on buses. This government is targeting violent and antisocial behaviour on our buses because that type of behaviour puts at risk the safety of passengers and bus drivers. The government has recently developed a transit violence strategy in conjunction with the Office of Crime Prevention, the Police Service, the Department for Planning and Infrastructure, bus companies and the Transport Workers’ Union. Together we have devised a number of strategies that we are now implementing. Recently I announced that as part of the successful Operation Busted, the police had caught 88 offenders. That campaign is ongoing and the police are continuing to catch more offenders. The overall strategy includes patrols, electronic surveillance and the like. Only last weekend I announced the next stage of that ongoing strategy, which is to provide specialist training for bus drivers in the taking and preserving of DNA samples that can be used as evidence before a court. This initiative is an Australian first. If a bus driver is spat on, which sadly happens all too frequently, he can use a swab to take a sample of the saliva and then seal it in a container to preserve it. The sample is then taken to a police station and can be used as evidence. One of the bus drivers who attended the announcement on Saturday had been spat on in the past month. Bus drivers are being trained in how to take that type of DNA sample, and they are being trained also in how to preserve the evidence. Notes are provided with the kit to explain the procedure. Similarly, if a person was assaulted on a bus, DNA evidence could be collected from a passenger and the samples taken could be matched against the DNA database. Even if the DNA sample did not match any of the samples on the database, it would be kept on the database so that if the same person reoffended in the future, the DNA sample that had been collected could be used to charge the offender with the earlier offence. This kit is an excellent tool for bus drivers that they and the TWU have welcomed. Unlike members of the chamber, some members of the community are unaware that bus drivers are regarded as public officers under the Criminal Code. Therefore, offences such as assault against bus drivers carry heavy penalties. The maximum penalty for assaulting a bus driver is 10 years imprisonment. We are assisting bus drivers and the community to stamp out antisocial behaviour on buses. It is our firm belief that some of the young thugs who are causing problems on the buses are the same people who are causing problems in other community forums. If we can catch them on the buses, we will be able to prevent them from engaging in similar behaviour in other areas of the community.
Only last weekend I announced the next stage of that ongoing strategy, which is to provide specialist training for bus drivers in the taking and preserving of DNA samples that can be used as evidence before a court. This initiative is an Australian first. If a bus driver is spat on, which sadly happens all too frequently, he can use a swab to take a sample of the saliva and then seal it in a container to preserve it. The sample is then taken to a police station and can be used as evidence. One of the bus drivers who attended the announcement on Saturday had been spat on in the past month. Bus drivers are being trained in how to take that type of DNA sample, and they are being trained also in how to preserve the evidence. Notes are provided with the kit to explain the procedure. Similarly, if a person was assaulted on a bus, DNA evidence could be collected from a passenger and the samples taken could be matched against the DNA database. Even if the DNA sample did not match any of the samples on the database, it would be kept on the database so that if the same person reoffended in the future, the DNA sample that had been collected could be used to charge the offender with the earlier offence. This kit is an excellent tool for bus drivers that they and the TWU have welcomed. Unlike members of the chamber, some members of the community are unaware that bus drivers are regarded as public officers under the Criminal Code. Therefore, offences such as assault against bus drivers carry heavy penalties. The maximum penalty for assaulting a bus driver is 10 years imprisonment. We are assisting bus drivers and the community to stamp out antisocial behaviour on buses. It is our firm belief that some of the young thugs who are causing problems on the buses are the same people who are causing problems in other community forums. If we can catch them on the buses, we will be able to prevent them from engaging in similar behaviour in other areas of the community.
This kit is an excellent tool for bus drivers that they and the TWU have welcomed. Unlike members of the chamber, some members of the community are unaware that bus drivers are regarded as public officers under the Criminal Code. Therefore, offences such as assault against bus drivers carry heavy penalties. The maximum penalty for assaulting a bus driver is 10 years imprisonment. We are assisting bus drivers and the community to stamp out antisocial behaviour on buses. It is our firm belief that some of the young thugs who are causing problems on the buses are the same people who are causing problems in other community forums. If we can catch them on the buses, we will be able to prevent them from engaging in similar behaviour in other areas of the community.
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