❓ Mr. Waldron questions the Minister about potential closures of two-man police stations in rural WA, given increasing police resignations. The Minister avoids a direct guarantee, citing police deployment decisions and increased overall police numbers, while acknowledging the different needs of regional areas.
AnsweredQoN 289Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
POLICE STATIONS - COUNTRY CLOSURES
The police commissioner gave an undertaking two years ago that there would be no closures of police stations. However, in light of the increasing number of police leaving the WA police service, I ask: can the minister guarantee that no two-man police stations in country WA will be closed over the next 12 to 18 months? Mr J.C. KOBELKE
The police commissioner gave an undertaking two years ago that there would be no closures of police stations. However, in light of the increasing number of police leaving the WA police service, I ask: can the minister guarantee that no two-man police stations in country WA will be closed over the next 12 to 18 months? Mr J.C. KOBELKE
AnswerView source ↗
The Commissioner of Police has responsibility for deploying police and I think he does an excellent job in making sure they are located where they are needed. I answered questions recently from the member, I think, about the growth in police numbers. If it was not the member for Wagin, it was another member opposite; it is certainly on the record. He will see from the answer that there has been very clear growth in police numbers in regional Western Australia. Regional Western Australia is being looked after in terms of the extra police this government is providing. The member may not know it, because he was not here at the time, but in the last four years of the coalition government it did not employ a single additional police officer. We have employed an extra 250 officers in the first four years and are on the road to 350 now. We will make sure that those additional police go where they are required. I am not able to give a specific guarantee with respect to police stations throughout the state because - Mr T.K. Waldron : They may close if they come under pressure. Mr J.C. KOBELKE : We need to look where the demand is and ensure those police can provide the best service to the people of Western Australia. I will give the member a simple example. In my own area, the Nollamara police station was closed and moved to Mirrabooka. I certainly had members of the community expressing concerns and saying, “We don’t want our police station closed. It’s right on the corner.” I was proactive and went out and tried to explain to people that a small police station with the numbers assigned to it is less efficient and people receive a reduced service than is the case if the police are together at a larger station. Given the distances in country areas, it is a different equation, and we take that into account. I can tell the member there is no plan to go through regional Western Australia closing down police stations. I cannot give a guarantee with respect to every police station in the state.
Mr J.C. KOBELKE replied: The Commissioner of Police has responsibility for deploying police and I think he does an excellent job in making sure they are located where they are needed. I answered questions recently from the member, I think, about the growth in police numbers. If it was not the member for Wagin, it was another member opposite; it is certainly on the record. He will see from the answer that there has been very clear growth in police numbers in regional Western Australia. Regional Western Australia is being looked after in terms of the extra police this government is providing. The member may not know it, because he was not here at the time, but in the last four years of the coalition government it did not employ a single additional police officer. We have employed an extra 250 officers in the first four years and are on the road to 350 now. We will make sure that those additional police go where they are required. I am not able to give a specific guarantee with respect to police stations throughout the state because - Mr T.K. Waldron : They may close if they come under pressure. Mr J.C. KOBELKE : We need to look where the demand is and ensure those police can provide the best service to the people of Western Australia. I will give the member a simple example. In my own area, the Nollamara police station was closed and moved to Mirrabooka. I certainly had members of the community expressing concerns and saying, “We don’t want our police station closed. It’s right on the corner.” I was proactive and went out and tried to explain to people that a small police station with the numbers assigned to it is less efficient and people receive a reduced service than is the case if the police are together at a larger station. Given the distances in country areas, it is a different equation, and we take that into account. I can tell the member there is no plan to go through regional Western Australia closing down police stations. I cannot give a guarantee with respect to every police station in the state.
The Commissioner of Police has responsibility for deploying police and I think he does an excellent job in making sure they are located where they are needed. I answered questions recently from the member, I think, about the growth in police numbers. If it was not the member for Wagin, it was another member opposite; it is certainly on the record. He will see from the answer that there has been very clear growth in police numbers in regional Western Australia. Regional Western Australia is being looked after in terms of the extra police this government is providing. The member may not know it, because he was not here at the time, but in the last four years of the coalition government it did not employ a single additional police officer. We have employed an extra 250 officers in the first four years and are on the road to 350 now. We will make sure that those additional police go where they are required. I am not able to give a specific guarantee with respect to police stations throughout the state because - Mr T.K. Waldron : They may close if they come under pressure. Mr J.C. KOBELKE : We need to look where the demand is and ensure those police can provide the best service to the people of Western Australia. I will give the member a simple example. In my own area, the Nollamara police station was closed and moved to Mirrabooka. I certainly had members of the community expressing concerns and saying, “We don’t want our police station closed. It’s right on the corner.” I was proactive and went out and tried to explain to people that a small police station with the numbers assigned to it is less efficient and people receive a reduced service than is the case if the police are together at a larger station. Given the distances in country areas, it is a different equation, and we take that into account. I can tell the member there is no plan to go through regional Western Australia closing down police stations. I cannot give a guarantee with respect to every police station in the state.
Mr T.K. Waldron : They may close if they come under pressure. Mr J.C. KOBELKE : We need to look where the demand is and ensure those police can provide the best service to the people of Western Australia. I will give the member a simple example. In my own area, the Nollamara police station was closed and moved to Mirrabooka. I certainly had members of the community expressing concerns and saying, “We don’t want our police station closed. It’s right on the corner.” I was proactive and went out and tried to explain to people that a small police station with the numbers assigned to it is less efficient and people receive a reduced service than is the case if the police are together at a larger station. Given the distances in country areas, it is a different equation, and we take that into account. I can tell the member there is no plan to go through regional Western Australia closing down police stations. I cannot give a guarantee with respect to every police station in the state.
Mr J.C. KOBELKE : We need to look where the demand is and ensure those police can provide the best service to the people of Western Australia. I will give the member a simple example. In my own area, the Nollamara police station was closed and moved to Mirrabooka. I certainly had members of the community expressing concerns and saying, “We don’t want our police station closed. It’s right on the corner.” I was proactive and went out and tried to explain to people that a small police station with the numbers assigned to it is less efficient and people receive a reduced service than is the case if the police are together at a larger station. Given the distances in country areas, it is a different equation, and we take that into account. I can tell the member there is no plan to go through regional Western Australia closing down police stations. I cannot give a guarantee with respect to every police station in the state.
Mr J.C. KOBELKE replied: The Commissioner of Police has responsibility for deploying police and I think he does an excellent job in making sure they are located where they are needed. I answered questions recently from the member, I think, about the growth in police numbers. If it was not the member for Wagin, it was another member opposite; it is certainly on the record. He will see from the answer that there has been very clear growth in police numbers in regional Western Australia. Regional Western Australia is being looked after in terms of the extra police this government is providing. The member may not know it, because he was not here at the time, but in the last four years of the coalition government it did not employ a single additional police officer. We have employed an extra 250 officers in the first four years and are on the road to 350 now. We will make sure that those additional police go where they are required. I am not able to give a specific guarantee with respect to police stations throughout the state because - Mr T.K. Waldron : They may close if they come under pressure. Mr J.C. KOBELKE : We need to look where the demand is and ensure those police can provide the best service to the people of Western Australia. I will give the member a simple example. In my own area, the Nollamara police station was closed and moved to Mirrabooka. I certainly had members of the community expressing concerns and saying, “We don’t want our police station closed. It’s right on the corner.” I was proactive and went out and tried to explain to people that a small police station with the numbers assigned to it is less efficient and people receive a reduced service than is the case if the police are together at a larger station. Given the distances in country areas, it is a different equation, and we take that into account. I can tell the member there is no plan to go through regional Western Australia closing down police stations. I cannot give a guarantee with respect to every police station in the state.
The Commissioner of Police has responsibility for deploying police and I think he does an excellent job in making sure they are located where they are needed. I answered questions recently from the member, I think, about the growth in police numbers. If it was not the member for Wagin, it was another member opposite; it is certainly on the record. He will see from the answer that there has been very clear growth in police numbers in regional Western Australia. Regional Western Australia is being looked after in terms of the extra police this government is providing. The member may not know it, because he was not here at the time, but in the last four years of the coalition government it did not employ a single additional police officer. We have employed an extra 250 officers in the first four years and are on the road to 350 now. We will make sure that those additional police go where they are required. I am not able to give a specific guarantee with respect to police stations throughout the state because - Mr T.K. Waldron : They may close if they come under pressure. Mr J.C. KOBELKE : We need to look where the demand is and ensure those police can provide the best service to the people of Western Australia. I will give the member a simple example. In my own area, the Nollamara police station was closed and moved to Mirrabooka. I certainly had members of the community expressing concerns and saying, “We don’t want our police station closed. It’s right on the corner.” I was proactive and went out and tried to explain to people that a small police station with the numbers assigned to it is less efficient and people receive a reduced service than is the case if the police are together at a larger station. Given the distances in country areas, it is a different equation, and we take that into account. I can tell the member there is no plan to go through regional Western Australia closing down police stations. I cannot give a guarantee with respect to every police station in the state.
Mr T.K. Waldron : They may close if they come under pressure. Mr J.C. KOBELKE : We need to look where the demand is and ensure those police can provide the best service to the people of Western Australia. I will give the member a simple example. In my own area, the Nollamara police station was closed and moved to Mirrabooka. I certainly had members of the community expressing concerns and saying, “We don’t want our police station closed. It’s right on the corner.” I was proactive and went out and tried to explain to people that a small police station with the numbers assigned to it is less efficient and people receive a reduced service than is the case if the police are together at a larger station. Given the distances in country areas, it is a different equation, and we take that into account. I can tell the member there is no plan to go through regional Western Australia closing down police stations. I cannot give a guarantee with respect to every police station in the state.
Mr J.C. KOBELKE : We need to look where the demand is and ensure those police can provide the best service to the people of Western Australia. I will give the member a simple example. In my own area, the Nollamara police station was closed and moved to Mirrabooka. I certainly had members of the community expressing concerns and saying, “We don’t want our police station closed. It’s right on the corner.” I was proactive and went out and tried to explain to people that a small police station with the numbers assigned to it is less efficient and people receive a reduced service than is the case if the police are together at a larger station. Given the distances in country areas, it is a different equation, and we take that into account. I can tell the member there is no plan to go through regional Western Australia closing down police stations. I cannot give a guarantee with respect to every police station in the state.
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