❓ Ms. Warr questions the Minister for Police about resource shortfalls in the GPS monitoring program for family and domestic violence offenders in regional WA. The Minister responds by highlighting government investment in police technology and crime prevention initiatives in Geraldton.
AnsweredQoN 50Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
Electronic monitoring
50. Ms Kirrilee Warr to the Minister for Police:
I am not sure I can
match the theatricals of the former member in the chamber here today!
The Speaker: No-one can!
Ms Kirrilee Warr: I refer to recent media reports,
including by the ABC this week, revealing that the Cook Labor government's
promise to deliver GPS monitoring for serial family and domestic violence
offenders is under-resourced and failing in parts of regional WA.
(1)
Given the Premier claims that he was unaware of these resource shortfalls, is the
minister aware of any concerns raised by Western Australia Police Force or the Western
Australian Police Union regarding the GPS monitoring program?
(2)
What immediate steps has the minister taken to ensure that victim-survivors of
family and domestic violence in regional communities such as Geraldton and the
Mid West are properly protected?
50. Ms Kirrilee Warr to the Minister for Police:
I am not sure I can
match the theatricals of the former member in the chamber here today!
The Speaker: No-one can!
Ms Kirrilee Warr: I refer to recent media reports,
including by the ABC this week, revealing that the Cook Labor government's
promise to deliver GPS monitoring for serial family and domestic violence
offenders is under-resourced and failing in parts of regional WA.
(1)
Given the Premier claims that he was unaware of these resource shortfalls, is the
minister aware of any concerns raised by Western Australia Police Force or the Western
Australian Police Union regarding the GPS monitoring program?
(2)
What immediate steps has the minister taken to ensure that victim-survivors of
family and domestic violence in regional communities such as Geraldton and the
Mid West are properly protected?
AnswerView source ↗
(1)–(2)
I thank the member for Geraldton for the question. She will have heard now
three times in this place the response from the Attorney General and the
Premier I think on two occasions.
I do not
have carriage for the monitoring of these devices, but I can talk about the
relevance to police operations. I think the Premier mentioned the State
Operations Command Centre. I urge anyone who is interested to have a look at
that operations centre. I think we are going to get the member for Kalamunda in
there to have a look. I understand that members opposite are coming up to speed
with their responsibilities, but an inspection of the State Operations Command
Centre will properly inform them of the enormous investment that the Cook Labor
government has made into technology and fighting crime in Western Australia. It
is simply amazing. We have one of the best—no, I think the best police force
in Australia. It is constantly being visited by police forces from around the
world, in fact, who look at the technology and the way it is employed.
Point of order
Mr Lachlan Hunter: Point of order on relevance.
Several members
interjected.
The Speaker: Members, points of order are heard in
silence.
Mr Lachlan Hunter: The member for Geraldton asked a
very specific question about regional Western Australia, not offers of tours
and political advertising from the minister. I ask that you direct him back to
the question.
The Speaker: Thank you, member. I will not uphold that
point of order. The minister is responding to the question and he can carry on
doing that. Carry on, minister.
Questions without
notice resumed
Mr Reece Whitby: Where does the member think this
monitoring across the state is happening? It is monitoring the regions as well.
I will get on to
some issues about Geraldton, because I am very keen to do so.
Mr Lachlan Hunter interjected.
The Speaker: Member for Central Wheatbelt!
Mr Reece Whitby: The member for Geraldton raised
issues about Geraldton, and I want to talk about some of the big responses that
the police have made via the Western Australian Government's resourcing of our friends,
the police. There have been additional resources deployed for crime files
clearance operations in Geraldton, which recently resulted in 429
investigations being completed and 130 charges preferred. Geraldton police have
obtained additional funding from Operation Heat Shield, which allows additional
police patrols to actively target and investigate the incidence of volume
crimes. There are target-hardening programs encouraging people to lock their
doors and put their things away to reduce the incidence of crime. Operation
Regional Shield involves extra resources that maintain high-visibility police
patrols to deter vehicle theft and even covertly monitored a decoy vehicle in
the Geraldton area to capture people who might want to commit vehicle offences.
Operation Shop Watch involves cooperation and intelligence sharing between
local police and shop owners. In the past, there has been a reluctance to report, and was even company policy by some
of the big supermarket retailers to not report incidents of theft. We have
got past that and are encouraging retailers to talk to police and get involved.
We are seeing positive results. There are challenges in Geraldton as there are challenges
across Western Australia. We are seeing big, positive results in Geraldton and
an enormous effort in police response to crime in Geraldton.
I just want to mention the On Track to Thrive program. The
Department of Justice and a range of government agencies are spending $7.8 million
on a pilot program, launched in Geraldton, the west Gascoyne and Armadale,
which will come into effect on 1 July this year and run through 2027. It will
focus on redirecting young juvenile offenders away from a life of crime. We
know about the Target 120 program, which is having good results.
The Speaker is not going to allow me to read everything on
this page, but I can assure the member that this government is doing more than
any other government in terms of investing in our police force, and we are
seeing positive outcomes. The other thing I will say is that if the member is
concerned about crime—
Several members
interjected.
The Speaker: If you could start to wrap up, minister,
that would be great, thanks.
Mr Reece Whitby: If the member is concerned about
crime and domestic and family violence, the Leader of the Nationals WA should
withdraw his disallowance motion against our new gun laws, because that
legislation will do more to keep people in Western Australia safe than any
other thing we can do.
Several members
interjected.
The Speaker: Members!
I thank the member for Geraldton for the question. She will have heard now
three times in this place the response from the Attorney General and the
Premier I think on two occasions.
I do not
have carriage for the monitoring of these devices, but I can talk about the
relevance to police operations. I think the Premier mentioned the State
Operations Command Centre. I urge anyone who is interested to have a look at
that operations centre. I think we are going to get the member for Kalamunda in
there to have a look. I understand that members opposite are coming up to speed
with their responsibilities, but an inspection of the State Operations Command
Centre will properly inform them of the enormous investment that the Cook Labor
government has made into technology and fighting crime in Western Australia. It
is simply amazing. We have one of the best—no, I think the best police force
in Australia. It is constantly being visited by police forces from around the
world, in fact, who look at the technology and the way it is employed.
Point of order
Mr Lachlan Hunter: Point of order on relevance.
Several members
interjected.
The Speaker: Members, points of order are heard in
silence.
Mr Lachlan Hunter: The member for Geraldton asked a
very specific question about regional Western Australia, not offers of tours
and political advertising from the minister. I ask that you direct him back to
the question.
The Speaker: Thank you, member. I will not uphold that
point of order. The minister is responding to the question and he can carry on
doing that. Carry on, minister.
Questions without
notice resumed
Mr Reece Whitby: Where does the member think this
monitoring across the state is happening? It is monitoring the regions as well.
I will get on to
some issues about Geraldton, because I am very keen to do so.
Mr Lachlan Hunter interjected.
The Speaker: Member for Central Wheatbelt!
Mr Reece Whitby: The member for Geraldton raised
issues about Geraldton, and I want to talk about some of the big responses that
the police have made via the Western Australian Government's resourcing of our friends,
the police. There have been additional resources deployed for crime files
clearance operations in Geraldton, which recently resulted in 429
investigations being completed and 130 charges preferred. Geraldton police have
obtained additional funding from Operation Heat Shield, which allows additional
police patrols to actively target and investigate the incidence of volume
crimes. There are target-hardening programs encouraging people to lock their
doors and put their things away to reduce the incidence of crime. Operation
Regional Shield involves extra resources that maintain high-visibility police
patrols to deter vehicle theft and even covertly monitored a decoy vehicle in
the Geraldton area to capture people who might want to commit vehicle offences.
Operation Shop Watch involves cooperation and intelligence sharing between
local police and shop owners. In the past, there has been a reluctance to report, and was even company policy by some
of the big supermarket retailers to not report incidents of theft. We have
got past that and are encouraging retailers to talk to police and get involved.
We are seeing positive results. There are challenges in Geraldton as there are challenges
across Western Australia. We are seeing big, positive results in Geraldton and
an enormous effort in police response to crime in Geraldton.
I just want to mention the On Track to Thrive program. The
Department of Justice and a range of government agencies are spending $7.8 million
on a pilot program, launched in Geraldton, the west Gascoyne and Armadale,
which will come into effect on 1 July this year and run through 2027. It will
focus on redirecting young juvenile offenders away from a life of crime. We
know about the Target 120 program, which is having good results.
The Speaker is not going to allow me to read everything on
this page, but I can assure the member that this government is doing more than
any other government in terms of investing in our police force, and we are
seeing positive outcomes. The other thing I will say is that if the member is
concerned about crime—
Several members
interjected.
The Speaker: If you could start to wrap up, minister,
that would be great, thanks.
Mr Reece Whitby: If the member is concerned about
crime and domestic and family violence, the Leader of the Nationals WA should
withdraw his disallowance motion against our new gun laws, because that
legislation will do more to keep people in Western Australia safe than any
other thing we can do.
Several members
interjected.
The Speaker: Members!
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