Mrs Roberts questions the rationale and impact of voluntary redundancies within the police force, particularly regarding replacement of officers and potential reduction of police presence. The Minister assures that growth targets will be met despite redundancies.

AnsweredQoN 263Legislative Assembly
Asked
18 June 2013
Portfolio
Police

QuestionView source ↗

POLICE — VOLUNTARY REDUNDANCIES
263. Mrs M.H. ROBERTS to the Minister for Police:
(1) Will all police officers taking up voluntary redundancy
be replaced?
(2) Can the
Minister for Police guarantee that allowing police officers to take up
redundancies will not result in fewer police on the beat?
(3) What is
the current approximate cost of training a police officer?
(4) What is
the rationale behind paying approximately a full year's salary to an
existing officer to do nothing, and then paying wages to train another officer
to take their place?

AnswerView source ↗

I thank the
member for the question.
(1)–(4)
The Commissioner of Police advises me that there are police officers who are
interested in taking up the very generous voluntary redundancy package. The
commissioner has also said that he can manage the voluntary redundancy program
consistent with this government's growth program. We still have 100 officers
to recruit for our 500 program, and we will recruit and train them by June 2014.
Then we have our 550 growth program, consistent with the last election
campaign, and the commissioner is aware that he needs to meet those targets as
well. The government is still committed, with our funding and with our $67 million
capital works program, to ensure that we can maintain our growth program in the
context of some voluntary redundancies that will be made available to police
officers, should they choose to take them up.

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