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❓ I refer to the Minister’s answer to my Question on Notice No. 290 which stated that 21 sexual assault forensic evidence kits that had remained unprocessed for more than 90 days related to cases that h

AnsweredQoN 1353Legislative Council

Asked

17 March 2026

Member

Hon Michelle Boylan

Portfolio

Police

QuestionView source ↗

I refer to the Minister’s answer to my Question on Notice No. 290 which stated that 21 sexual assault forensic evidence kits that had remained unprocessed for more than 90 days related to cases that had been withdrawn or would not proceed further and I ask: (a) how many of those kits were nevertheless tested for evidentiary or intelligence purpose; (b) what policy determines whether a sexual assault forensic evidence kit is tested when a case does not proceed; and (c) does the Western Australia Police Force have a policy requiring sexual assault forensic evidence kits to be tested regardless of whether a complaint proceeds to prosecution?

AnswerView source ↗

Answered

5 May 2026

Responded by

Minister for the Environment representing the Minister for Police

Response time

3 days

(a-c) All outstanding kits have been processed. The Serious Crime Exhibit Retention Management Policy (SCERM) provides the agency framework for the retention and disposal of exhibits for Serious Crime. The SCERM policy articulates that all exhibits relating to a sexual offence under the Criminal Code Chapter XXXI will be sent for testing.

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