❓ Mr. Love questions how a $15.8 million investment will address police officer attrition and improve road safety. The Minister responds by stating police numbers are growing, attrition is down, and criticises Mr. Love's engagement with the police force.
AnsweredQoN 716Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
ROAD SAFETY — POLICE RESOURCES
716. Mr R.S. LOVE to the Minister for Police:
I
have a supplementary question. I asked about the minister's response to
the road safety crisis. I ask again: how will this $15.8 million
investment fix the exodus of police officers from the force and improve road
safety?
716. Mr R.S. LOVE to the Minister for Police:
I
have a supplementary question. I asked about the minister's response to
the road safety crisis. I ask again: how will this $15.8 million
investment fix the exodus of police officers from the force and improve road
safety?
AnswerView source ↗
Firstly,
we have more police officers than we have ever had before in history. They are
not leaving—they are joining . Eleven thousand people have
applied to join the force since the campaign began in 2020–21. The vast
majority of those people are Western Australians. We have 300 recruits at the
Police Academy. They will pass through the academy this year in the order of 1 000
officers. The police force is not short of people; it is growing at a greater
rate than it ever has, and it will continue to grow to get to that 950 above
attrition. Right now, there are 724 more officers than there were when the
Leader of the Opposition was in government. Western Australian police are the
best in the nation, and they are the best equipped and the best resourced; I do
not resile from saying that. The Leader of the Opposition needs to get out
there and actually talk to some police officers. I know that the shadow
Minister for Police does not do that. He has not visited a police station in
two years. He has not requested to visit any police units this entire year. He
occasionally goes to recruit graduations but leaves the moment they are over. I
do not know where the member gets his advice about the state of morale in the
police force, but I can tell him that his denigration and negative commentary
about the police is probably the most detrimental factor anywhere in Western Australia
with respect to our police morale. Police attrition is down to pre-COVID
levels. In the last 10 months, on average,
26 or 27 officers have resigned. What the member is referring to is something
that happened two years ago post COVID when the great resignations
occurred. It is no longer valid. Get with the game plan, get with the reality
and go and talk to some police officers.
we have more police officers than we have ever had before in history. They are
not leaving—they are joining . Eleven thousand people have
applied to join the force since the campaign began in 2020–21. The vast
majority of those people are Western Australians. We have 300 recruits at the
Police Academy. They will pass through the academy this year in the order of 1 000
officers. The police force is not short of people; it is growing at a greater
rate than it ever has, and it will continue to grow to get to that 950 above
attrition. Right now, there are 724 more officers than there were when the
Leader of the Opposition was in government. Western Australian police are the
best in the nation, and they are the best equipped and the best resourced; I do
not resile from saying that. The Leader of the Opposition needs to get out
there and actually talk to some police officers. I know that the shadow
Minister for Police does not do that. He has not visited a police station in
two years. He has not requested to visit any police units this entire year. He
occasionally goes to recruit graduations but leaves the moment they are over. I
do not know where the member gets his advice about the state of morale in the
police force, but I can tell him that his denigration and negative commentary
about the police is probably the most detrimental factor anywhere in Western Australia
with respect to our police morale. Police attrition is down to pre-COVID
levels. In the last 10 months, on average,
26 or 27 officers have resigned. What the member is referring to is something
that happened two years ago post COVID when the great resignations
occurred. It is no longer valid. Get with the game plan, get with the reality
and go and talk to some police officers.
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