❓ Dr. Honey questions the Minister for Police about low morale reported in a police union survey. The Minister dismisses the survey's findings, asserting high morale due to the WA Police Force's successes and community appreciation.
AnsweredQoN 591Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
POLICE — MORALE
591. Dr D.J. HONEY to the Minister for Police:
I
refer to the Western Australian Police Union survey released in May this year
that found that out of the 2 000 members who participated, a staggering
64 per cent of those surveyed perceived the level of morale in the WA Police
Force as poor.
(1) What plans has the minister put
in place to combat that reported poor morale situation?
(2) Has funding been allocated to
improve morale in the Western Australia Police Force?
(3) If the government has allocated
funding, how much funding has been allocated for that task?
591. Dr D.J. HONEY to the Minister for Police:
I
refer to the Western Australian Police Union survey released in May this year
that found that out of the 2 000 members who participated, a staggering
64 per cent of those surveyed perceived the level of morale in the WA Police
Force as poor.
(1) What plans has the minister put
in place to combat that reported poor morale situation?
(2) Has funding been allocated to
improve morale in the Western Australia Police Force?
(3) If the government has allocated
funding, how much funding has been allocated for that task?
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the
member for the question.
(1)–(3) I
did not do the survey. I had no access to the survey questions or the nature of
it, although I know that the vast majority of police officers did not respond
to that survey. Whether it is reflective of the views of police officers is
probably the question. I would say that I do not think it is.
I think the morale of the Western Australia
Police Force, rightly, is very high. It has acquired a reputation for
exceptional policing in recent years. The Western Australian community probably
appreciates our Western Australia Police Force more than ever before in the
state's history. Its contribution to getting this state so successfully
through the pandemic was extraordinary. People acknowledged that. They
appreciate the contribution made by police
and they recognise that at the same time as confronting a challenge, the likes
of which no police officer on the planet had worked through before, they did
that very, very successfully in a collegiate manner, which took most of the
people with them, other than the ones out the front today and opposition
members.
The Western Australia Police Force
also completed some extraordinary policing and resolved crimes in a rapid fashion in a manner that probably has
never been seen before because, increasingly as a consequence of the
leadership provided to the Western Australia Police Force, it has adopted
technology, it has applied it, it has brought together intelligence operations
in a manner not seen before and it has successfully resolved some very
high-profile crimes in a very short time frame and continues to do so. We all
know of the Nick Martin murder and the Cleo case. More recently, the murder
that took place in the northern suburbs was resolved very rapidly. There was
the tragic death of an old gentleman riding a bike on a road late at night. Within
13 hours, the police had identified the individual responsible. It was not an
accident. That person did not give themselves up; they were found by the police
because of our exceptional policing provided by the police force of Western Australia.
I think they rightfully should enjoy very high morale at the moment. I think
they do. The police I talk to—I talk to a lot—confirm that they
have good morale. Perhaps the member could suggest something I might do to
change the view of some people who make comments about the police and are
determined to talk down our Western Australia Police Force, because I do not
agree with them.
member for the question.
(1)–(3) I
did not do the survey. I had no access to the survey questions or the nature of
it, although I know that the vast majority of police officers did not respond
to that survey. Whether it is reflective of the views of police officers is
probably the question. I would say that I do not think it is.
I think the morale of the Western Australia
Police Force, rightly, is very high. It has acquired a reputation for
exceptional policing in recent years. The Western Australian community probably
appreciates our Western Australia Police Force more than ever before in the
state's history. Its contribution to getting this state so successfully
through the pandemic was extraordinary. People acknowledged that. They
appreciate the contribution made by police
and they recognise that at the same time as confronting a challenge, the likes
of which no police officer on the planet had worked through before, they did
that very, very successfully in a collegiate manner, which took most of the
people with them, other than the ones out the front today and opposition
members.
The Western Australia Police Force
also completed some extraordinary policing and resolved crimes in a rapid fashion in a manner that probably has
never been seen before because, increasingly as a consequence of the
leadership provided to the Western Australia Police Force, it has adopted
technology, it has applied it, it has brought together intelligence operations
in a manner not seen before and it has successfully resolved some very
high-profile crimes in a very short time frame and continues to do so. We all
know of the Nick Martin murder and the Cleo case. More recently, the murder
that took place in the northern suburbs was resolved very rapidly. There was
the tragic death of an old gentleman riding a bike on a road late at night. Within
13 hours, the police had identified the individual responsible. It was not an
accident. That person did not give themselves up; they were found by the police
because of our exceptional policing provided by the police force of Western Australia.
I think they rightfully should enjoy very high morale at the moment. I think
they do. The police I talk to—I talk to a lot—confirm that they
have good morale. Perhaps the member could suggest something I might do to
change the view of some people who make comments about the police and are
determined to talk down our Western Australia Police Force, because I do not
agree with them.
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