❓ Mr. Johnson (Opposition) questions the Minister for Police on whether the government met its promise to recruit 250 extra police officers since 2001. The Minister (Mr. Kobelke) vehemently denies the claim, citing official figures from the Police Commissioner.
AnsweredQoN 702Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
POLICE - RECRUITMENT
I have a supplementary question. The minister’s government made a promise in 2001 to recruit in its first term of government an extra 250 police officers. Does the minister accept that the government has not reached that figure even today, and that the figure is only 245 more than the 2001-02 numbers? Mr J.C. KOBELKE
I have a supplementary question. The minister’s government made a promise in 2001 to recruit in its first term of government an extra 250 police officers. Does the minister accept that the government has not reached that figure even today, and that the figure is only 245 more than the 2001-02 numbers? Mr J.C. KOBELKE
AnswerView source ↗
Again, the opposition spokesperson is seeking to mislead this house. It is an absolute travesty. Those opposite will stay in opposition for many years if they continue to say things that are absolute nonsense. It was an absolute nonsense for the opposition to say that it could construct a canal to bring water from the Kimberley to Perth. Everyone knows that it was a nonsense. It is an absolute nonsense that the member for Hillarys would use those figures when he knows they are wrong, wrong, wrong. The fact is that the opposition has taken figures and abused them. I rely on the official figures that are provided to me by the Commissioner of Police. Those figures show that in the four years from February 2001 to February 2005, the WA Police has an extra 250 officers. They are the official figures that I have been given. I then looked at the figures from February 2006 to the end of August 2006. Those figures show that at the end of August there were 5 052 police. That is 104 extra officers since the time of the election in 2005. They are the official figures that I have been presented with. Members opposite take numbers, add them up in their own twisted little way, absolutely abuse them, and come out with numbers that have no validity. I rely on the figures that I am given by the Commissioner of Police. We see that there are now additional police in Western Australia doing their job, something that the opposition clearly does not support.
Mr J.C. KOBELKE replied: Again, the opposition spokesperson is seeking to mislead this house. It is an absolute travesty. Those opposite will stay in opposition for many years if they continue to say things that are absolute nonsense. It was an absolute nonsense for the opposition to say that it could construct a canal to bring water from the Kimberley to Perth. Everyone knows that it was a nonsense. It is an absolute nonsense that the member for Hillarys would use those figures when he knows they are wrong, wrong, wrong. The fact is that the opposition has taken figures and abused them. I rely on the official figures that are provided to me by the Commissioner of Police. Those figures show that in the four years from February 2001 to February 2005, the WA Police has an extra 250 officers. They are the official figures that I have been given. I then looked at the figures from February 2006 to the end of August 2006. Those figures show that at the end of August there were 5 052 police. That is 104 extra officers since the time of the election in 2005. They are the official figures that I have been presented with. Members opposite take numbers, add them up in their own twisted little way, absolutely abuse them, and come out with numbers that have no validity. I rely on the figures that I am given by the Commissioner of Police. We see that there are now additional police in Western Australia doing their job, something that the opposition clearly does not support.
Again, the opposition spokesperson is seeking to mislead this house. It is an absolute travesty. Those opposite will stay in opposition for many years if they continue to say things that are absolute nonsense. It was an absolute nonsense for the opposition to say that it could construct a canal to bring water from the Kimberley to Perth. Everyone knows that it was a nonsense. It is an absolute nonsense that the member for Hillarys would use those figures when he knows they are wrong, wrong, wrong. The fact is that the opposition has taken figures and abused them. I rely on the official figures that are provided to me by the Commissioner of Police. Those figures show that in the four years from February 2001 to February 2005, the WA Police has an extra 250 officers. They are the official figures that I have been given. I then looked at the figures from February 2006 to the end of August 2006. Those figures show that at the end of August there were 5 052 police. That is 104 extra officers since the time of the election in 2005. They are the official figures that I have been presented with. Members opposite take numbers, add them up in their own twisted little way, absolutely abuse them, and come out with numbers that have no validity. I rely on the figures that I am given by the Commissioner of Police. We see that there are now additional police in Western Australia doing their job, something that the opposition clearly does not support.
Mr J.C. KOBELKE replied: Again, the opposition spokesperson is seeking to mislead this house. It is an absolute travesty. Those opposite will stay in opposition for many years if they continue to say things that are absolute nonsense. It was an absolute nonsense for the opposition to say that it could construct a canal to bring water from the Kimberley to Perth. Everyone knows that it was a nonsense. It is an absolute nonsense that the member for Hillarys would use those figures when he knows they are wrong, wrong, wrong. The fact is that the opposition has taken figures and abused them. I rely on the official figures that are provided to me by the Commissioner of Police. Those figures show that in the four years from February 2001 to February 2005, the WA Police has an extra 250 officers. They are the official figures that I have been given. I then looked at the figures from February 2006 to the end of August 2006. Those figures show that at the end of August there were 5 052 police. That is 104 extra officers since the time of the election in 2005. They are the official figures that I have been presented with. Members opposite take numbers, add them up in their own twisted little way, absolutely abuse them, and come out with numbers that have no validity. I rely on the figures that I am given by the Commissioner of Police. We see that there are now additional police in Western Australia doing their job, something that the opposition clearly does not support.
Again, the opposition spokesperson is seeking to mislead this house. It is an absolute travesty. Those opposite will stay in opposition for many years if they continue to say things that are absolute nonsense. It was an absolute nonsense for the opposition to say that it could construct a canal to bring water from the Kimberley to Perth. Everyone knows that it was a nonsense. It is an absolute nonsense that the member for Hillarys would use those figures when he knows they are wrong, wrong, wrong. The fact is that the opposition has taken figures and abused them. I rely on the official figures that are provided to me by the Commissioner of Police. Those figures show that in the four years from February 2001 to February 2005, the WA Police has an extra 250 officers. They are the official figures that I have been given. I then looked at the figures from February 2006 to the end of August 2006. Those figures show that at the end of August there were 5 052 police. That is 104 extra officers since the time of the election in 2005. They are the official figures that I have been presented with. Members opposite take numbers, add them up in their own twisted little way, absolutely abuse them, and come out with numbers that have no validity. I rely on the figures that I am given by the Commissioner of Police. We see that there are now additional police in Western Australia doing their job, something that the opposition clearly does not support.
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