❓ A parliamentary question addresses the Justice Minister regarding the AIMS Corporation court security contract, deemed an "abject failure" by the Attorney General. The questions probe the contract's performance, potential impact of non-renewal on police resources, and escape statistics.
AnsweredQoN 1261Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
I refer the minister to the Attorney General’s comments in the House on 9 April this year that the AIMS Corporation court security and prisoner transport contract has been “an abject failure” and to the Premier’s indication that the contract might not be renewed in 2005, and ask - (1) Is the minister aware that according to the Department of Justice’s annual report on this matter, which was tabled on Tuesday, AIMS personnel provided in excess of 426 000 hours of prisoner transport and court security services to the State? (2) Is the minister further aware that if AIMS’ contract is not renewed, which was indicated by the Premier, it will take 171 full-time police officers to undertake these duties, leaving a massive hole in front-line policing in Western Australia? (3) Will the minister confirm the statistics in the annual report that show that during the three years of the private contract, the number of escapes from courts and prisoner transport have nearly halved compared with the preceding three years? Mrs M.H. ROBERTS
AnswerView source ↗
(1)-(3) I confirm that the Attorney General’s comments in April are quite correct. In fact, I wonder whether the member for Kalgoorlie has properly read the report that was presented to Parliament last week. It can be seen from what occurred that the contract has generally been a failure. Our Government has had to work on this issue to bring it into line. One of the facts that speaks most clearly on this issue is the Government’s ability to negotiate a reduction in the contract in the order of $1.5 million. That reveals what a poor decision was made at the time and that the privatisation of the service did not turn out to be anything like the Opposition thought it would be. I have already made it quite clear in statements to the House quite some time ago that the Government does not intend to replace the private security guards with police officers. I have heard a lot of nonsense from the Opposition this week. The member for Nedlands said yesterday that the contract would save 200 police. My understanding is that it actually saved less than half that number. Most of what members opposite said is plainly just not true.
(1) Is the minister aware that according to the Department of Justice’s annual report on this matter, which was tabled on Tuesday, AIMS personnel provided in excess of 426 000 hours of prisoner transport and court security services to the State? (2) Is the minister further aware that if AIMS’ contract is not renewed, which was indicated by the Premier, it will take 171 full-time police officers to undertake these duties, leaving a massive hole in front-line policing in Western Australia? (3) Will the minister confirm the statistics in the annual report that show that during the three years of the private contract, the number of escapes from courts and prisoner transport have nearly halved compared with the preceding three years? Mrs M.H. ROBERTS replied: (1)-(3) I confirm that the Attorney General’s comments in April are quite correct. In fact, I wonder whether the member for Kalgoorlie has properly read the report that was presented to Parliament last week. It can be seen from what occurred that the contract has generally been a failure. Our Government has had to work on this issue to bring it into line. One of the facts that speaks most clearly on this issue is the Government’s ability to negotiate a reduction in the contract in the order of $1.5 million. That reveals what a poor decision was made at the time and that the privatisation of the service did not turn out to be anything like the Opposition thought it would be. I have already made it quite clear in statements to the House quite some time ago that the Government does not intend to replace the private security guards with police officers. I have heard a lot of nonsense from the Opposition this week. The member for Nedlands said yesterday that the contract would save 200 police. My understanding is that it actually saved less than half that number. Most of what members opposite said is plainly just not true.
(2) Is the minister further aware that if AIMS’ contract is not renewed, which was indicated by the Premier, it will take 171 full-time police officers to undertake these duties, leaving a massive hole in front-line policing in Western Australia? (3) Will the minister confirm the statistics in the annual report that show that during the three years of the private contract, the number of escapes from courts and prisoner transport have nearly halved compared with the preceding three years? Mrs M.H. ROBERTS replied: (1)-(3) I confirm that the Attorney General’s comments in April are quite correct. In fact, I wonder whether the member for Kalgoorlie has properly read the report that was presented to Parliament last week. It can be seen from what occurred that the contract has generally been a failure. Our Government has had to work on this issue to bring it into line. One of the facts that speaks most clearly on this issue is the Government’s ability to negotiate a reduction in the contract in the order of $1.5 million. That reveals what a poor decision was made at the time and that the privatisation of the service did not turn out to be anything like the Opposition thought it would be. I have already made it quite clear in statements to the House quite some time ago that the Government does not intend to replace the private security guards with police officers. I have heard a lot of nonsense from the Opposition this week. The member for Nedlands said yesterday that the contract would save 200 police. My understanding is that it actually saved less than half that number. Most of what members opposite said is plainly just not true.
(3) Will the minister confirm the statistics in the annual report that show that during the three years of the private contract, the number of escapes from courts and prisoner transport have nearly halved compared with the preceding three years? Mrs M.H. ROBERTS replied: (1)-(3) I confirm that the Attorney General’s comments in April are quite correct. In fact, I wonder whether the member for Kalgoorlie has properly read the report that was presented to Parliament last week. It can be seen from what occurred that the contract has generally been a failure. Our Government has had to work on this issue to bring it into line. One of the facts that speaks most clearly on this issue is the Government’s ability to negotiate a reduction in the contract in the order of $1.5 million. That reveals what a poor decision was made at the time and that the privatisation of the service did not turn out to be anything like the Opposition thought it would be. I have already made it quite clear in statements to the House quite some time ago that the Government does not intend to replace the private security guards with police officers. I have heard a lot of nonsense from the Opposition this week. The member for Nedlands said yesterday that the contract would save 200 police. My understanding is that it actually saved less than half that number. Most of what members opposite said is plainly just not true.
Mrs M.H. ROBERTS replied: (1)-(3) I confirm that the Attorney General’s comments in April are quite correct. In fact, I wonder whether the member for Kalgoorlie has properly read the report that was presented to Parliament last week. It can be seen from what occurred that the contract has generally been a failure. Our Government has had to work on this issue to bring it into line. One of the facts that speaks most clearly on this issue is the Government’s ability to negotiate a reduction in the contract in the order of $1.5 million. That reveals what a poor decision was made at the time and that the privatisation of the service did not turn out to be anything like the Opposition thought it would be. I have already made it quite clear in statements to the House quite some time ago that the Government does not intend to replace the private security guards with police officers. I have heard a lot of nonsense from the Opposition this week. The member for Nedlands said yesterday that the contract would save 200 police. My understanding is that it actually saved less than half that number. Most of what members opposite said is plainly just not true.
(1)-(3) I confirm that the Attorney General’s comments in April are quite correct. In fact, I wonder whether the member for Kalgoorlie has properly read the report that was presented to Parliament last week. It can be seen from what occurred that the contract has generally been a failure. Our Government has had to work on this issue to bring it into line. One of the facts that speaks most clearly on this issue is the Government’s ability to negotiate a reduction in the contract in the order of $1.5 million. That reveals what a poor decision was made at the time and that the privatisation of the service did not turn out to be anything like the Opposition thought it would be. I have already made it quite clear in statements to the House quite some time ago that the Government does not intend to replace the private security guards with police officers. I have heard a lot of nonsense from the Opposition this week. The member for Nedlands said yesterday that the contract would save 200 police. My understanding is that it actually saved less than half that number. Most of what members opposite said is plainly just not true.
(1) Is the minister aware that according to the Department of Justice’s annual report on this matter, which was tabled on Tuesday, AIMS personnel provided in excess of 426 000 hours of prisoner transport and court security services to the State? (2) Is the minister further aware that if AIMS’ contract is not renewed, which was indicated by the Premier, it will take 171 full-time police officers to undertake these duties, leaving a massive hole in front-line policing in Western Australia? (3) Will the minister confirm the statistics in the annual report that show that during the three years of the private contract, the number of escapes from courts and prisoner transport have nearly halved compared with the preceding three years? Mrs M.H. ROBERTS replied: (1)-(3) I confirm that the Attorney General’s comments in April are quite correct. In fact, I wonder whether the member for Kalgoorlie has properly read the report that was presented to Parliament last week. It can be seen from what occurred that the contract has generally been a failure. Our Government has had to work on this issue to bring it into line. One of the facts that speaks most clearly on this issue is the Government’s ability to negotiate a reduction in the contract in the order of $1.5 million. That reveals what a poor decision was made at the time and that the privatisation of the service did not turn out to be anything like the Opposition thought it would be. I have already made it quite clear in statements to the House quite some time ago that the Government does not intend to replace the private security guards with police officers. I have heard a lot of nonsense from the Opposition this week. The member for Nedlands said yesterday that the contract would save 200 police. My understanding is that it actually saved less than half that number. Most of what members opposite said is plainly just not true.
(2) Is the minister further aware that if AIMS’ contract is not renewed, which was indicated by the Premier, it will take 171 full-time police officers to undertake these duties, leaving a massive hole in front-line policing in Western Australia? (3) Will the minister confirm the statistics in the annual report that show that during the three years of the private contract, the number of escapes from courts and prisoner transport have nearly halved compared with the preceding three years? Mrs M.H. ROBERTS replied: (1)-(3) I confirm that the Attorney General’s comments in April are quite correct. In fact, I wonder whether the member for Kalgoorlie has properly read the report that was presented to Parliament last week. It can be seen from what occurred that the contract has generally been a failure. Our Government has had to work on this issue to bring it into line. One of the facts that speaks most clearly on this issue is the Government’s ability to negotiate a reduction in the contract in the order of $1.5 million. That reveals what a poor decision was made at the time and that the privatisation of the service did not turn out to be anything like the Opposition thought it would be. I have already made it quite clear in statements to the House quite some time ago that the Government does not intend to replace the private security guards with police officers. I have heard a lot of nonsense from the Opposition this week. The member for Nedlands said yesterday that the contract would save 200 police. My understanding is that it actually saved less than half that number. Most of what members opposite said is plainly just not true.
(3) Will the minister confirm the statistics in the annual report that show that during the three years of the private contract, the number of escapes from courts and prisoner transport have nearly halved compared with the preceding three years? Mrs M.H. ROBERTS replied: (1)-(3) I confirm that the Attorney General’s comments in April are quite correct. In fact, I wonder whether the member for Kalgoorlie has properly read the report that was presented to Parliament last week. It can be seen from what occurred that the contract has generally been a failure. Our Government has had to work on this issue to bring it into line. One of the facts that speaks most clearly on this issue is the Government’s ability to negotiate a reduction in the contract in the order of $1.5 million. That reveals what a poor decision was made at the time and that the privatisation of the service did not turn out to be anything like the Opposition thought it would be. I have already made it quite clear in statements to the House quite some time ago that the Government does not intend to replace the private security guards with police officers. I have heard a lot of nonsense from the Opposition this week. The member for Nedlands said yesterday that the contract would save 200 police. My understanding is that it actually saved less than half that number. Most of what members opposite said is plainly just not true.
Mrs M.H. ROBERTS replied: (1)-(3) I confirm that the Attorney General’s comments in April are quite correct. In fact, I wonder whether the member for Kalgoorlie has properly read the report that was presented to Parliament last week. It can be seen from what occurred that the contract has generally been a failure. Our Government has had to work on this issue to bring it into line. One of the facts that speaks most clearly on this issue is the Government’s ability to negotiate a reduction in the contract in the order of $1.5 million. That reveals what a poor decision was made at the time and that the privatisation of the service did not turn out to be anything like the Opposition thought it would be. I have already made it quite clear in statements to the House quite some time ago that the Government does not intend to replace the private security guards with police officers. I have heard a lot of nonsense from the Opposition this week. The member for Nedlands said yesterday that the contract would save 200 police. My understanding is that it actually saved less than half that number. Most of what members opposite said is plainly just not true.
(1)-(3) I confirm that the Attorney General’s comments in April are quite correct. In fact, I wonder whether the member for Kalgoorlie has properly read the report that was presented to Parliament last week. It can be seen from what occurred that the contract has generally been a failure. Our Government has had to work on this issue to bring it into line. One of the facts that speaks most clearly on this issue is the Government’s ability to negotiate a reduction in the contract in the order of $1.5 million. That reveals what a poor decision was made at the time and that the privatisation of the service did not turn out to be anything like the Opposition thought it would be. I have already made it quite clear in statements to the House quite some time ago that the Government does not intend to replace the private security guards with police officers. I have heard a lot of nonsense from the Opposition this week. The member for Nedlands said yesterday that the contract would save 200 police. My understanding is that it actually saved less than half that number. Most of what members opposite said is plainly just not true.
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