❓ Mrs Roberts questions the Minister for Police about alleged senior police redundancies, their rationale, numbers, and costs. The Minister's response is perceived as evasive, leading to a point of order.
AnsweredQoN 231Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
POLICE — REDUNDANCIES
231. Mrs M.H. ROBERTS to the Minister for
Police:
(1) Why has the minister not
publicised her latest round of senior police redundancies?
(2) Why are these redundancies being
offered?
(3) Approximately
how many senior police will be leaving in this round, prior to 30 June this
year?
(4) What is the
approximate cost of the redundancies?
231. Mrs M.H. ROBERTS to the Minister for
Police:
(1) Why has the minister not
publicised her latest round of senior police redundancies?
(2) Why are these redundancies being
offered?
(3) Approximately
how many senior police will be leaving in this round, prior to 30 June this
year?
(4) What is the
approximate cost of the redundancies?
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member for Midland for
the question.
(1)–(4) I
have been very forthright in this place in talking about the WA Police
Frontline 2020 program and the reform agenda we are running through Police.
That reform agenda has identified some opportunities to flatten the structure
in Police. ''Flattening the structure'' means looking at the
areas of excess officers in the commissioned ranks, such as inspectors,
superintendents and commander positions. They are positions where we are
looking for opportunities to create gaps, if you like, to allow new people to
move up through the ranks. The Frontline 2020 program also identified that we
have surplus mid-level management numbers in WA Police. WA Police has come to
me and asked whether it can self-fund, from within its own resources, some
voluntary redundancies and voluntary severances, and a small number of
opportunities have been offered to WA Police officers. We have not settled on a
final number as yet because we want to see what kind of response we get from
the commissioned officers who may be eligible to assist in flattening our
structure. So that members understand why this is important, taking out an
officer at a commissioned rank of inspector or above gives us the opportunity
to replace that officer with two junior constables or two new recruits. If we
can get two troops on the ground, out serving the community —
Point of Order
Mrs M.H. ROBERTS : I asked some
very specific questions such as approximately how many officers and at
approximately what cost. I do not appear to be getting an answer to those quite
simple questions; rather, I am getting some prepared diatribe.
The SPEAKER : Thank you. I understood
the minister to say that things were not exactly settled yet. Minister, can you
address those further?
Questions without Notice Resumed
Mrs
L.M. HARVEY : I am very pleased that Mr Speaker is listening to my response;
the member for Midland seems to have a problem listening to my responses.
Mrs
M.H. Roberts : The problem is with you not telling the house anything of
use!
Mrs
L.M. HARVEY : I will go back a couple of sentences and speak slowly so the
member for Midland can understand. I said that we are looking at opportunities
to flatten our structure; we have not settled on a total number and it will be
small. It will be fewer than 50. We are looking for some opportunities to look
to commissioned officers who are surplus to requirements, to, through a voluntary
severance scheme —
Ms
M.M. Quirk : How are you going with detective vacancies?
Mrs
L.M. HARVEY : — free up those positions so that we can replace them
with more officers on the front line. Maybe the member for Girrawheen might get
a question one day, and she can ask that question about detectives, or maybe
the member for Midland can ask it.
the question.
(1)–(4) I
have been very forthright in this place in talking about the WA Police
Frontline 2020 program and the reform agenda we are running through Police.
That reform agenda has identified some opportunities to flatten the structure
in Police. ''Flattening the structure'' means looking at the
areas of excess officers in the commissioned ranks, such as inspectors,
superintendents and commander positions. They are positions where we are
looking for opportunities to create gaps, if you like, to allow new people to
move up through the ranks. The Frontline 2020 program also identified that we
have surplus mid-level management numbers in WA Police. WA Police has come to
me and asked whether it can self-fund, from within its own resources, some
voluntary redundancies and voluntary severances, and a small number of
opportunities have been offered to WA Police officers. We have not settled on a
final number as yet because we want to see what kind of response we get from
the commissioned officers who may be eligible to assist in flattening our
structure. So that members understand why this is important, taking out an
officer at a commissioned rank of inspector or above gives us the opportunity
to replace that officer with two junior constables or two new recruits. If we
can get two troops on the ground, out serving the community —
Point of Order
Mrs M.H. ROBERTS : I asked some
very specific questions such as approximately how many officers and at
approximately what cost. I do not appear to be getting an answer to those quite
simple questions; rather, I am getting some prepared diatribe.
The SPEAKER : Thank you. I understood
the minister to say that things were not exactly settled yet. Minister, can you
address those further?
Questions without Notice Resumed
Mrs
L.M. HARVEY : I am very pleased that Mr Speaker is listening to my response;
the member for Midland seems to have a problem listening to my responses.
Mrs
M.H. Roberts : The problem is with you not telling the house anything of
use!
Mrs
L.M. HARVEY : I will go back a couple of sentences and speak slowly so the
member for Midland can understand. I said that we are looking at opportunities
to flatten our structure; we have not settled on a total number and it will be
small. It will be fewer than 50. We are looking for some opportunities to look
to commissioned officers who are surplus to requirements, to, through a voluntary
severance scheme —
Ms
M.M. Quirk : How are you going with detective vacancies?
Mrs
L.M. HARVEY : — free up those positions so that we can replace them
with more officers on the front line. Maybe the member for Girrawheen might get
a question one day, and she can ask that question about detectives, or maybe
the member for Midland can ask it.
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