❓ Opposition questions Police Minister about response times and staffing levels, referencing a pre-election promise. Minister defends record, citing increased resources and reduced crime rates, blaming previous government's system.
AnsweredQoN 744Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
I refer the minister to the Australian Labor Party’s pre-election policy, “More Police, Better Policing”, which states - Labor will . . . set clear targets for all police response times . . . (1) Is the minister aware that this year police took more than double the target time to attend a scene at which an offender with a history of psychiatric problems was threatening to shoot himself and others and that by the time police arrived they could not locate the offender? (2) Is the minister further aware that last year police took two hours - 15 times the target response time - to respond to an attempted home invasion in progress? (3) Is the minister also aware that this year police took more than 10 hours to respond to a domestic incident and that by the time they arrived no-one was home? (4) Will the minister now admit that the 28 000 calls for police assistance that were not responded to within target time frames last year were a direct result of all 14 police districts operating below their authorised strength? Mrs M.H. ROBERTS
AnswerView source ↗
(1)-(4) I am certainly aware of our policy “more police, better policing” and I am proud to have delivered on that. We have some 250 more police over and above attrition. We have put through the Police Academy at Joondalup more than 1 000 additional police officers to deliver on the 250 police officers over and above attrition. We have also increased the police operating budget by some 39 per cent; that is, about $160 million more than the previous Government’s last budget. I am also aware that in the last completed financial year, crime was down by eight per cent across the board and in the last three-month quarter ending in September there was a 15 per cent reduction in crime compared with the quarter before. Mr P.D. Omodei interjected. The SPEAKER: I call the member for Warren-Blackwood to order for the second time. Mrs M.H. ROBERTS: That is nearly 10 000 fewer offences - 10 000 fewer victims of crime - in a three-month period. Mrs C.L. Edwardes: No-one believes you. Mrs M.H. ROBERTS: The member for Kingsley can throw gratuitous insults if she likes, but she should look at the police web site, ask the Commissioner of Police, have a look at the official statistics and then come into this Chamber and apologise. The member for Kalgoorlie has referred to a number of incidents. I suspect that these are the very incidents that I outlined to the Opposition in answer to question on notice 2477 by Hon Ray Halligan on 19 October. I provided some statistics but, unfortunately, he has chosen to misinterpret a number of them. The fact is that the computer aided dispatch and communications services system - CADCOM - that the previous Government left us with was inadequate. Mr M.J. Birney: So it’s the computer’s fault! Mrs M.H. ROBERTS: No, it is the Opposition’s fault. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, members! Mrs M.H. ROBERTS: There is no question that there were only 14 priority 1 incidents in the course of the past year, and I outlined some of those incidents to the member for Kalgoorlie. Often the response to a priority 1 call-out is not recorded at the time, partly because the communication lines are busy and partly because police are far more preoccupied with responding to the incident than they are with reporting the time of the call-out. On a priority 1 call-out, the dispatch vehicle is quite often not the first vehicle on the scene. For example, I looked into one incident in which it was said that it took 99 minutes to respond to a priority 1 incident in Bassendean when, in fact, the manual records indicated that the response time was only two minutes. We are delivering more and better policing. It is obvious that with the new commissioner’s emphasis on front-line policing, complemented by the additional 250 officers on the front line and the 39 per cent increase in the operating budget, the Police Service of Western Australia is delivering.
(2) Is the minister further aware that last year police took two hours - 15 times the target response time - to respond to an attempted home invasion in progress? (3) Is the minister also aware that this year police took more than 10 hours to respond to a domestic incident and that by the time they arrived no-one was home? (4) Will the minister now admit that the 28 000 calls for police assistance that were not responded to within target time frames last year were a direct result of all 14 police districts operating below their authorised strength? Mrs M.H. ROBERTS replied: (1)-(4) I am certainly aware of our policy “more police, better policing” and I am proud to have delivered on that. We have some 250 more police over and above attrition. We have put through the Police Academy at Joondalup more than 1 000 additional police officers to deliver on the 250 police officers over and above attrition. We have also increased the police operating budget by some 39 per cent; that is, about $160 million more than the previous Government’s last budget. I am also aware that in the last completed financial year, crime was down by eight per cent across the board and in the last three-month quarter ending in September there was a 15 per cent reduction in crime compared with the quarter before. Mr P.D. Omodei interjected. The SPEAKER: I call the member for Warren-Blackwood to order for the second time. Mrs M.H. ROBERTS: That is nearly 10 000 fewer offences - 10 000 fewer victims of crime - in a three-month period. Mrs C.L. Edwardes: No-one believes you. Mrs M.H. ROBERTS: The member for Kingsley can throw gratuitous insults if she likes, but she should look at the police web site, ask the Commissioner of Police, have a look at the official statistics and then come into this Chamber and apologise. The member for Kalgoorlie has referred to a number of incidents. I suspect that these are the very incidents that I outlined to the Opposition in answer to question on notice 2477 by Hon Ray Halligan on 19 October. I provided some statistics but, unfortunately, he has chosen to misinterpret a number of them. The fact is that the computer aided dispatch and communications services system - CADCOM - that the previous Government left us with was inadequate. Mr M.J. Birney: So it’s the computer’s fault! Mrs M.H. ROBERTS: No, it is the Opposition’s fault. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, members! Mrs M.H. ROBERTS: There is no question that there were only 14 priority 1 incidents in the course of the past year, and I outlined some of those incidents to the member for Kalgoorlie. Often the response to a priority 1 call-out is not recorded at the time, partly because the communication lines are busy and partly because police are far more preoccupied with responding to the incident than they are with reporting the time of the call-out. On a priority 1 call-out, the dispatch vehicle is quite often not the first vehicle on the scene. For example, I looked into one incident in which it was said that it took 99 minutes to respond to a priority 1 incident in Bassendean when, in fact, the manual records indicated that the response time was only two minutes. We are delivering more and better policing. It is obvious that with the new commissioner’s emphasis on front-line policing, complemented by the additional 250 officers on the front line and the 39 per cent increase in the operating budget, the Police Service of Western Australia is delivering.
(3) Is the minister also aware that this year police took more than 10 hours to respond to a domestic incident and that by the time they arrived no-one was home? (4) Will the minister now admit that the 28 000 calls for police assistance that were not responded to within target time frames last year were a direct result of all 14 police districts operating below their authorised strength? Mrs M.H. ROBERTS replied: (1)-(4) I am certainly aware of our policy “more police, better policing” and I am proud to have delivered on that. We have some 250 more police over and above attrition. We have put through the Police Academy at Joondalup more than 1 000 additional police officers to deliver on the 250 police officers over and above attrition. We have also increased the police operating budget by some 39 per cent; that is, about $160 million more than the previous Government’s last budget. I am also aware that in the last completed financial year, crime was down by eight per cent across the board and in the last three-month quarter ending in September there was a 15 per cent reduction in crime compared with the quarter before. Mr P.D. Omodei interjected. The SPEAKER: I call the member for Warren-Blackwood to order for the second time. Mrs M.H. ROBERTS: That is nearly 10 000 fewer offences - 10 000 fewer victims of crime - in a three-month period. Mrs C.L. Edwardes: No-one believes you. Mrs M.H. ROBERTS: The member for Kingsley can throw gratuitous insults if she likes, but she should look at the police web site, ask the Commissioner of Police, have a look at the official statistics and then come into this Chamber and apologise. The member for Kalgoorlie has referred to a number of incidents. I suspect that these are the very incidents that I outlined to the Opposition in answer to question on notice 2477 by Hon Ray Halligan on 19 October. I provided some statistics but, unfortunately, he has chosen to misinterpret a number of them. The fact is that the computer aided dispatch and communications services system - CADCOM - that the previous Government left us with was inadequate. Mr M.J. Birney: So it’s the computer’s fault! Mrs M.H. ROBERTS: No, it is the Opposition’s fault. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, members! Mrs M.H. ROBERTS: There is no question that there were only 14 priority 1 incidents in the course of the past year, and I outlined some of those incidents to the member for Kalgoorlie. Often the response to a priority 1 call-out is not recorded at the time, partly because the communication lines are busy and partly because police are far more preoccupied with responding to the incident than they are with reporting the time of the call-out. On a priority 1 call-out, the dispatch vehicle is quite often not the first vehicle on the scene. For example, I looked into one incident in which it was said that it took 99 minutes to respond to a priority 1 incident in Bassendean when, in fact, the manual records indicated that the response time was only two minutes. We are delivering more and better policing. It is obvious that with the new commissioner’s emphasis on front-line policing, complemented by the additional 250 officers on the front line and the 39 per cent increase in the operating budget, the Police Service of Western Australia is delivering.
(4) Will the minister now admit that the 28 000 calls for police assistance that were not responded to within target time frames last year were a direct result of all 14 police districts operating below their authorised strength? Mrs M.H. ROBERTS replied: (1)-(4) I am certainly aware of our policy “more police, better policing” and I am proud to have delivered on that. We have some 250 more police over and above attrition. We have put through the Police Academy at Joondalup more than 1 000 additional police officers to deliver on the 250 police officers over and above attrition. We have also increased the police operating budget by some 39 per cent; that is, about $160 million more than the previous Government’s last budget. I am also aware that in the last completed financial year, crime was down by eight per cent across the board and in the last three-month quarter ending in September there was a 15 per cent reduction in crime compared with the quarter before. Mr P.D. Omodei interjected. The SPEAKER: I call the member for Warren-Blackwood to order for the second time. Mrs M.H. ROBERTS: That is nearly 10 000 fewer offences - 10 000 fewer victims of crime - in a three-month period. Mrs C.L. Edwardes: No-one believes you. Mrs M.H. ROBERTS: The member for Kingsley can throw gratuitous insults if she likes, but she should look at the police web site, ask the Commissioner of Police, have a look at the official statistics and then come into this Chamber and apologise. The member for Kalgoorlie has referred to a number of incidents. I suspect that these are the very incidents that I outlined to the Opposition in answer to question on notice 2477 by Hon Ray Halligan on 19 October. I provided some statistics but, unfortunately, he has chosen to misinterpret a number of them. The fact is that the computer aided dispatch and communications services system - CADCOM - that the previous Government left us with was inadequate. Mr M.J. Birney: So it’s the computer’s fault! Mrs M.H. ROBERTS: No, it is the Opposition’s fault. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, members! Mrs M.H. ROBERTS: There is no question that there were only 14 priority 1 incidents in the course of the past year, and I outlined some of those incidents to the member for Kalgoorlie. Often the response to a priority 1 call-out is not recorded at the time, partly because the communication lines are busy and partly because police are far more preoccupied with responding to the incident than they are with reporting the time of the call-out. On a priority 1 call-out, the dispatch vehicle is quite often not the first vehicle on the scene. For example, I looked into one incident in which it was said that it took 99 minutes to respond to a priority 1 incident in Bassendean when, in fact, the manual records indicated that the response time was only two minutes. We are delivering more and better policing. It is obvious that with the new commissioner’s emphasis on front-line policing, complemented by the additional 250 officers on the front line and the 39 per cent increase in the operating budget, the Police Service of Western Australia is delivering.
Mrs M.H. ROBERTS replied: (1)-(4) I am certainly aware of our policy “more police, better policing” and I am proud to have delivered on that. We have some 250 more police over and above attrition. We have put through the Police Academy at Joondalup more than 1 000 additional police officers to deliver on the 250 police officers over and above attrition. We have also increased the police operating budget by some 39 per cent; that is, about $160 million more than the previous Government’s last budget. I am also aware that in the last completed financial year, crime was down by eight per cent across the board and in the last three-month quarter ending in September there was a 15 per cent reduction in crime compared with the quarter before. Mr P.D. Omodei interjected. The SPEAKER: I call the member for Warren-Blackwood to order for the second time. Mrs M.H. ROBERTS: That is nearly 10 000 fewer offences - 10 000 fewer victims of crime - in a three-month period. Mrs C.L. Edwardes: No-one believes you. Mrs M.H. ROBERTS: The member for Kingsley can throw gratuitous insults if she likes, but she should look at the police web site, ask the Commissioner of Police, have a look at the official statistics and then come into this Chamber and apologise. The member for Kalgoorlie has referred to a number of incidents. I suspect that these are the very incidents that I outlined to the Opposition in answer to question on notice 2477 by Hon Ray Halligan on 19 October. I provided some statistics but, unfortunately, he has chosen to misinterpret a number of them. The fact is that the computer aided dispatch and communications services system - CADCOM - that the previous Government left us with was inadequate. Mr M.J. Birney: So it’s the computer’s fault! Mrs M.H. ROBERTS: No, it is the Opposition’s fault. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, members! Mrs M.H. ROBERTS: There is no question that there were only 14 priority 1 incidents in the course of the past year, and I outlined some of those incidents to the member for Kalgoorlie. Often the response to a priority 1 call-out is not recorded at the time, partly because the communication lines are busy and partly because police are far more preoccupied with responding to the incident than they are with reporting the time of the call-out. On a priority 1 call-out, the dispatch vehicle is quite often not the first vehicle on the scene. For example, I looked into one incident in which it was said that it took 99 minutes to respond to a priority 1 incident in Bassendean when, in fact, the manual records indicated that the response time was only two minutes. We are delivering more and better policing. It is obvious that with the new commissioner’s emphasis on front-line policing, complemented by the additional 250 officers on the front line and the 39 per cent increase in the operating budget, the Police Service of Western Australia is delivering.
(1)-(4) I am certainly aware of our policy “more police, better policing” and I am proud to have delivered on that. We have some 250 more police over and above attrition. We have put through the Police Academy at Joondalup more than 1 000 additional police officers to deliver on the 250 police officers over and above attrition. We have also increased the police operating budget by some 39 per cent; that is, about $160 million more than the previous Government’s last budget. I am also aware that in the last completed financial year, crime was down by eight per cent across the board and in the last three-month quarter ending in September there was a 15 per cent reduction in crime compared with the quarter before. Mr P.D. Omodei interjected. The SPEAKER: I call the member for Warren-Blackwood to order for the second time. Mrs M.H. ROBERTS: That is nearly 10 000 fewer offences - 10 000 fewer victims of crime - in a three-month period. Mrs C.L. Edwardes: No-one believes you. Mrs M.H. ROBERTS: The member for Kingsley can throw gratuitous insults if she likes, but she should look at the police web site, ask the Commissioner of Police, have a look at the official statistics and then come into this Chamber and apologise. The member for Kalgoorlie has referred to a number of incidents. I suspect that these are the very incidents that I outlined to the Opposition in answer to question on notice 2477 by Hon Ray Halligan on 19 October. I provided some statistics but, unfortunately, he has chosen to misinterpret a number of them. The fact is that the computer aided dispatch and communications services system - CADCOM - that the previous Government left us with was inadequate. Mr M.J. Birney: So it’s the computer’s fault! Mrs M.H. ROBERTS: No, it is the Opposition’s fault. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, members! Mrs M.H. ROBERTS: There is no question that there were only 14 priority 1 incidents in the course of the past year, and I outlined some of those incidents to the member for Kalgoorlie. Often the response to a priority 1 call-out is not recorded at the time, partly because the communication lines are busy and partly because police are far more preoccupied with responding to the incident than they are with reporting the time of the call-out. On a priority 1 call-out, the dispatch vehicle is quite often not the first vehicle on the scene. For example, I looked into one incident in which it was said that it took 99 minutes to respond to a priority 1 incident in Bassendean when, in fact, the manual records indicated that the response time was only two minutes. We are delivering more and better policing. It is obvious that with the new commissioner’s emphasis on front-line policing, complemented by the additional 250 officers on the front line and the 39 per cent increase in the operating budget, the Police Service of Western Australia is delivering.
Mr P.D. Omodei interjected. The SPEAKER: I call the member for Warren-Blackwood to order for the second time. Mrs M.H. ROBERTS: That is nearly 10 000 fewer offences - 10 000 fewer victims of crime - in a three-month period. Mrs C.L. Edwardes: No-one believes you. Mrs M.H. ROBERTS: The member for Kingsley can throw gratuitous insults if she likes, but she should look at the police web site, ask the Commissioner of Police, have a look at the official statistics and then come into this Chamber and apologise. The member for Kalgoorlie has referred to a number of incidents. I suspect that these are the very incidents that I outlined to the Opposition in answer to question on notice 2477 by Hon Ray Halligan on 19 October. I provided some statistics but, unfortunately, he has chosen to misinterpret a number of them. The fact is that the computer aided dispatch and communications services system - CADCOM - that the previous Government left us with was inadequate. Mr M.J. Birney: So it’s the computer’s fault! Mrs M.H. ROBERTS: No, it is the Opposition’s fault. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, members! Mrs M.H. ROBERTS: There is no question that there were only 14 priority 1 incidents in the course of the past year, and I outlined some of those incidents to the member for Kalgoorlie. Often the response to a priority 1 call-out is not recorded at the time, partly because the communication lines are busy and partly because police are far more preoccupied with responding to the incident than they are with reporting the time of the call-out. On a priority 1 call-out, the dispatch vehicle is quite often not the first vehicle on the scene. For example, I looked into one incident in which it was said that it took 99 minutes to respond to a priority 1 incident in Bassendean when, in fact, the manual records indicated that the response time was only two minutes. We are delivering more and better policing. It is obvious that with the new commissioner’s emphasis on front-line policing, complemented by the additional 250 officers on the front line and the 39 per cent increase in the operating budget, the Police Service of Western Australia is delivering.
The SPEAKER: I call the member for Warren-Blackwood to order for the second time. Mrs M.H. ROBERTS: That is nearly 10 000 fewer offences - 10 000 fewer victims of crime - in a three-month period. Mrs C.L. Edwardes: No-one believes you. Mrs M.H. ROBERTS: The member for Kingsley can throw gratuitous insults if she likes, but she should look at the police web site, ask the Commissioner of Police, have a look at the official statistics and then come into this Chamber and apologise. The member for Kalgoorlie has referred to a number of incidents. I suspect that these are the very incidents that I outlined to the Opposition in answer to question on notice 2477 by Hon Ray Halligan on 19 October. I provided some statistics but, unfortunately, he has chosen to misinterpret a number of them. The fact is that the computer aided dispatch and communications services system - CADCOM - that the previous Government left us with was inadequate. Mr M.J. Birney: So it’s the computer’s fault! Mrs M.H. ROBERTS: No, it is the Opposition’s fault. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, members! Mrs M.H. ROBERTS: There is no question that there were only 14 priority 1 incidents in the course of the past year, and I outlined some of those incidents to the member for Kalgoorlie. Often the response to a priority 1 call-out is not recorded at the time, partly because the communication lines are busy and partly because police are far more preoccupied with responding to the incident than they are with reporting the time of the call-out. On a priority 1 call-out, the dispatch vehicle is quite often not the first vehicle on the scene. For example, I looked into one incident in which it was said that it took 99 minutes to respond to a priority 1 incident in Bassendean when, in fact, the manual records indicated that the response time was only two minutes. We are delivering more and better policing. It is obvious that with the new commissioner’s emphasis on front-line policing, complemented by the additional 250 officers on the front line and the 39 per cent increase in the operating budget, the Police Service of Western Australia is delivering.
Mrs M.H. ROBERTS: That is nearly 10 000 fewer offences - 10 000 fewer victims of crime - in a three-month period. Mrs C.L. Edwardes: No-one believes you. Mrs M.H. ROBERTS: The member for Kingsley can throw gratuitous insults if she likes, but she should look at the police web site, ask the Commissioner of Police, have a look at the official statistics and then come into this Chamber and apologise. The member for Kalgoorlie has referred to a number of incidents. I suspect that these are the very incidents that I outlined to the Opposition in answer to question on notice 2477 by Hon Ray Halligan on 19 October. I provided some statistics but, unfortunately, he has chosen to misinterpret a number of them. The fact is that the computer aided dispatch and communications services system - CADCOM - that the previous Government left us with was inadequate. Mr M.J. Birney: So it’s the computer’s fault! Mrs M.H. ROBERTS: No, it is the Opposition’s fault. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, members! Mrs M.H. ROBERTS: There is no question that there were only 14 priority 1 incidents in the course of the past year, and I outlined some of those incidents to the member for Kalgoorlie. Often the response to a priority 1 call-out is not recorded at the time, partly because the communication lines are busy and partly because police are far more preoccupied with responding to the incident than they are with reporting the time of the call-out. On a priority 1 call-out, the dispatch vehicle is quite often not the first vehicle on the scene. For example, I looked into one incident in which it was said that it took 99 minutes to respond to a priority 1 incident in Bassendean when, in fact, the manual records indicated that the response time was only two minutes. We are delivering more and better policing. It is obvious that with the new commissioner’s emphasis on front-line policing, complemented by the additional 250 officers on the front line and the 39 per cent increase in the operating budget, the Police Service of Western Australia is delivering.
Mrs C.L. Edwardes: No-one believes you. Mrs M.H. ROBERTS: The member for Kingsley can throw gratuitous insults if she likes, but she should look at the police web site, ask the Commissioner of Police, have a look at the official statistics and then come into this Chamber and apologise. The member for Kalgoorlie has referred to a number of incidents. I suspect that these are the very incidents that I outlined to the Opposition in answer to question on notice 2477 by Hon Ray Halligan on 19 October. I provided some statistics but, unfortunately, he has chosen to misinterpret a number of them. The fact is that the computer aided dispatch and communications services system - CADCOM - that the previous Government left us with was inadequate. Mr M.J. Birney: So it’s the computer’s fault! Mrs M.H. ROBERTS: No, it is the Opposition’s fault. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, members! Mrs M.H. ROBERTS: There is no question that there were only 14 priority 1 incidents in the course of the past year, and I outlined some of those incidents to the member for Kalgoorlie. Often the response to a priority 1 call-out is not recorded at the time, partly because the communication lines are busy and partly because police are far more preoccupied with responding to the incident than they are with reporting the time of the call-out. On a priority 1 call-out, the dispatch vehicle is quite often not the first vehicle on the scene. For example, I looked into one incident in which it was said that it took 99 minutes to respond to a priority 1 incident in Bassendean when, in fact, the manual records indicated that the response time was only two minutes. We are delivering more and better policing. It is obvious that with the new commissioner’s emphasis on front-line policing, complemented by the additional 250 officers on the front line and the 39 per cent increase in the operating budget, the Police Service of Western Australia is delivering.
Mrs M.H. ROBERTS: The member for Kingsley can throw gratuitous insults if she likes, but she should look at the police web site, ask the Commissioner of Police, have a look at the official statistics and then come into this Chamber and apologise. The member for Kalgoorlie has referred to a number of incidents. I suspect that these are the very incidents that I outlined to the Opposition in answer to question on notice 2477 by Hon Ray Halligan on 19 October. I provided some statistics but, unfortunately, he has chosen to misinterpret a number of them. The fact is that the computer aided dispatch and communications services system - CADCOM - that the previous Government left us with was inadequate. Mr M.J. Birney: So it’s the computer’s fault! Mrs M.H. ROBERTS: No, it is the Opposition’s fault. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, members! Mrs M.H. ROBERTS: There is no question that there were only 14 priority 1 incidents in the course of the past year, and I outlined some of those incidents to the member for Kalgoorlie. Often the response to a priority 1 call-out is not recorded at the time, partly because the communication lines are busy and partly because police are far more preoccupied with responding to the incident than they are with reporting the time of the call-out. On a priority 1 call-out, the dispatch vehicle is quite often not the first vehicle on the scene. For example, I looked into one incident in which it was said that it took 99 minutes to respond to a priority 1 incident in Bassendean when, in fact, the manual records indicated that the response time was only two minutes. We are delivering more and better policing. It is obvious that with the new commissioner’s emphasis on front-line policing, complemented by the additional 250 officers on the front line and the 39 per cent increase in the operating budget, the Police Service of Western Australia is delivering.
The member for Kalgoorlie has referred to a number of incidents. I suspect that these are the very incidents that I outlined to the Opposition in answer to question on notice 2477 by Hon Ray Halligan on 19 October. I provided some statistics but, unfortunately, he has chosen to misinterpret a number of them. The fact is that the computer aided dispatch and communications services system - CADCOM - that the previous Government left us with was inadequate. Mr M.J. Birney: So it’s the computer’s fault! Mrs M.H. ROBERTS: No, it is the Opposition’s fault. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, members! Mrs M.H. ROBERTS: There is no question that there were only 14 priority 1 incidents in the course of the past year, and I outlined some of those incidents to the member for Kalgoorlie. Often the response to a priority 1 call-out is not recorded at the time, partly because the communication lines are busy and partly because police are far more preoccupied with responding to the incident than they are with reporting the time of the call-out. On a priority 1 call-out, the dispatch vehicle is quite often not the first vehicle on the scene. For example, I looked into one incident in which it was said that it took 99 minutes to respond to a priority 1 incident in Bassendean when, in fact, the manual records indicated that the response time was only two minutes. We are delivering more and better policing. It is obvious that with the new commissioner’s emphasis on front-line policing, complemented by the additional 250 officers on the front line and the 39 per cent increase in the operating budget, the Police Service of Western Australia is delivering.
Mr M.J. Birney: So it’s the computer’s fault! Mrs M.H. ROBERTS: No, it is the Opposition’s fault. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, members! Mrs M.H. ROBERTS: There is no question that there were only 14 priority 1 incidents in the course of the past year, and I outlined some of those incidents to the member for Kalgoorlie. Often the response to a priority 1 call-out is not recorded at the time, partly because the communication lines are busy and partly because police are far more preoccupied with responding to the incident than they are with reporting the time of the call-out. On a priority 1 call-out, the dispatch vehicle is quite often not the first vehicle on the scene. For example, I looked into one incident in which it was said that it took 99 minutes to respond to a priority 1 incident in Bassendean when, in fact, the manual records indicated that the response time was only two minutes. We are delivering more and better policing. It is obvious that with the new commissioner’s emphasis on front-line policing, complemented by the additional 250 officers on the front line and the 39 per cent increase in the operating budget, the Police Service of Western Australia is delivering.
Mrs M.H. ROBERTS: No, it is the Opposition’s fault. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, members! Mrs M.H. ROBERTS: There is no question that there were only 14 priority 1 incidents in the course of the past year, and I outlined some of those incidents to the member for Kalgoorlie. Often the response to a priority 1 call-out is not recorded at the time, partly because the communication lines are busy and partly because police are far more preoccupied with responding to the incident than they are with reporting the time of the call-out. On a priority 1 call-out, the dispatch vehicle is quite often not the first vehicle on the scene. For example, I looked into one incident in which it was said that it took 99 minutes to respond to a priority 1 incident in Bassendean when, in fact, the manual records indicated that the response time was only two minutes. We are delivering more and better policing. It is obvious that with the new commissioner’s emphasis on front-line policing, complemented by the additional 250 officers on the front line and the 39 per cent increase in the operating budget, the Police Service of Western Australia is delivering.
Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, members! Mrs M.H. ROBERTS: There is no question that there were only 14 priority 1 incidents in the course of the past year, and I outlined some of those incidents to the member for Kalgoorlie. Often the response to a priority 1 call-out is not recorded at the time, partly because the communication lines are busy and partly because police are far more preoccupied with responding to the incident than they are with reporting the time of the call-out. On a priority 1 call-out, the dispatch vehicle is quite often not the first vehicle on the scene. For example, I looked into one incident in which it was said that it took 99 minutes to respond to a priority 1 incident in Bassendean when, in fact, the manual records indicated that the response time was only two minutes. We are delivering more and better policing. It is obvious that with the new commissioner’s emphasis on front-line policing, complemented by the additional 250 officers on the front line and the 39 per cent increase in the operating budget, the Police Service of Western Australia is delivering.
The SPEAKER: Order, members! Mrs M.H. ROBERTS: There is no question that there were only 14 priority 1 incidents in the course of the past year, and I outlined some of those incidents to the member for Kalgoorlie. Often the response to a priority 1 call-out is not recorded at the time, partly because the communication lines are busy and partly because police are far more preoccupied with responding to the incident than they are with reporting the time of the call-out. On a priority 1 call-out, the dispatch vehicle is quite often not the first vehicle on the scene. For example, I looked into one incident in which it was said that it took 99 minutes to respond to a priority 1 incident in Bassendean when, in fact, the manual records indicated that the response time was only two minutes. We are delivering more and better policing. It is obvious that with the new commissioner’s emphasis on front-line policing, complemented by the additional 250 officers on the front line and the 39 per cent increase in the operating budget, the Police Service of Western Australia is delivering.
Mrs M.H. ROBERTS: There is no question that there were only 14 priority 1 incidents in the course of the past year, and I outlined some of those incidents to the member for Kalgoorlie. Often the response to a priority 1 call-out is not recorded at the time, partly because the communication lines are busy and partly because police are far more preoccupied with responding to the incident than they are with reporting the time of the call-out. On a priority 1 call-out, the dispatch vehicle is quite often not the first vehicle on the scene. For example, I looked into one incident in which it was said that it took 99 minutes to respond to a priority 1 incident in Bassendean when, in fact, the manual records indicated that the response time was only two minutes. We are delivering more and better policing. It is obvious that with the new commissioner’s emphasis on front-line policing, complemented by the additional 250 officers on the front line and the 39 per cent increase in the operating budget, the Police Service of Western Australia is delivering.
(2) Is the minister further aware that last year police took two hours - 15 times the target response time - to respond to an attempted home invasion in progress? (3) Is the minister also aware that this year police took more than 10 hours to respond to a domestic incident and that by the time they arrived no-one was home? (4) Will the minister now admit that the 28 000 calls for police assistance that were not responded to within target time frames last year were a direct result of all 14 police districts operating below their authorised strength? Mrs M.H. ROBERTS replied: (1)-(4) I am certainly aware of our policy “more police, better policing” and I am proud to have delivered on that. We have some 250 more police over and above attrition. We have put through the Police Academy at Joondalup more than 1 000 additional police officers to deliver on the 250 police officers over and above attrition. We have also increased the police operating budget by some 39 per cent; that is, about $160 million more than the previous Government’s last budget. I am also aware that in the last completed financial year, crime was down by eight per cent across the board and in the last three-month quarter ending in September there was a 15 per cent reduction in crime compared with the quarter before. Mr P.D. Omodei interjected. The SPEAKER: I call the member for Warren-Blackwood to order for the second time. Mrs M.H. ROBERTS: That is nearly 10 000 fewer offences - 10 000 fewer victims of crime - in a three-month period. Mrs C.L. Edwardes: No-one believes you. Mrs M.H. ROBERTS: The member for Kingsley can throw gratuitous insults if she likes, but she should look at the police web site, ask the Commissioner of Police, have a look at the official statistics and then come into this Chamber and apologise. The member for Kalgoorlie has referred to a number of incidents. I suspect that these are the very incidents that I outlined to the Opposition in answer to question on notice 2477 by Hon Ray Halligan on 19 October. I provided some statistics but, unfortunately, he has chosen to misinterpret a number of them. The fact is that the computer aided dispatch and communications services system - CADCOM - that the previous Government left us with was inadequate. Mr M.J. Birney: So it’s the computer’s fault! Mrs M.H. ROBERTS: No, it is the Opposition’s fault. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, members! Mrs M.H. ROBERTS: There is no question that there were only 14 priority 1 incidents in the course of the past year, and I outlined some of those incidents to the member for Kalgoorlie. Often the response to a priority 1 call-out is not recorded at the time, partly because the communication lines are busy and partly because police are far more preoccupied with responding to the incident than they are with reporting the time of the call-out. On a priority 1 call-out, the dispatch vehicle is quite often not the first vehicle on the scene. For example, I looked into one incident in which it was said that it took 99 minutes to respond to a priority 1 incident in Bassendean when, in fact, the manual records indicated that the response time was only two minutes. We are delivering more and better policing. It is obvious that with the new commissioner’s emphasis on front-line policing, complemented by the additional 250 officers on the front line and the 39 per cent increase in the operating budget, the Police Service of Western Australia is delivering.
(3) Is the minister also aware that this year police took more than 10 hours to respond to a domestic incident and that by the time they arrived no-one was home? (4) Will the minister now admit that the 28 000 calls for police assistance that were not responded to within target time frames last year were a direct result of all 14 police districts operating below their authorised strength? Mrs M.H. ROBERTS replied: (1)-(4) I am certainly aware of our policy “more police, better policing” and I am proud to have delivered on that. We have some 250 more police over and above attrition. We have put through the Police Academy at Joondalup more than 1 000 additional police officers to deliver on the 250 police officers over and above attrition. We have also increased the police operating budget by some 39 per cent; that is, about $160 million more than the previous Government’s last budget. I am also aware that in the last completed financial year, crime was down by eight per cent across the board and in the last three-month quarter ending in September there was a 15 per cent reduction in crime compared with the quarter before. Mr P.D. Omodei interjected. The SPEAKER: I call the member for Warren-Blackwood to order for the second time. Mrs M.H. ROBERTS: That is nearly 10 000 fewer offences - 10 000 fewer victims of crime - in a three-month period. Mrs C.L. Edwardes: No-one believes you. Mrs M.H. ROBERTS: The member for Kingsley can throw gratuitous insults if she likes, but she should look at the police web site, ask the Commissioner of Police, have a look at the official statistics and then come into this Chamber and apologise. The member for Kalgoorlie has referred to a number of incidents. I suspect that these are the very incidents that I outlined to the Opposition in answer to question on notice 2477 by Hon Ray Halligan on 19 October. I provided some statistics but, unfortunately, he has chosen to misinterpret a number of them. The fact is that the computer aided dispatch and communications services system - CADCOM - that the previous Government left us with was inadequate. Mr M.J. Birney: So it’s the computer’s fault! Mrs M.H. ROBERTS: No, it is the Opposition’s fault. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, members! Mrs M.H. ROBERTS: There is no question that there were only 14 priority 1 incidents in the course of the past year, and I outlined some of those incidents to the member for Kalgoorlie. Often the response to a priority 1 call-out is not recorded at the time, partly because the communication lines are busy and partly because police are far more preoccupied with responding to the incident than they are with reporting the time of the call-out. On a priority 1 call-out, the dispatch vehicle is quite often not the first vehicle on the scene. For example, I looked into one incident in which it was said that it took 99 minutes to respond to a priority 1 incident in Bassendean when, in fact, the manual records indicated that the response time was only two minutes. We are delivering more and better policing. It is obvious that with the new commissioner’s emphasis on front-line policing, complemented by the additional 250 officers on the front line and the 39 per cent increase in the operating budget, the Police Service of Western Australia is delivering.
(4) Will the minister now admit that the 28 000 calls for police assistance that were not responded to within target time frames last year were a direct result of all 14 police districts operating below their authorised strength? Mrs M.H. ROBERTS replied: (1)-(4) I am certainly aware of our policy “more police, better policing” and I am proud to have delivered on that. We have some 250 more police over and above attrition. We have put through the Police Academy at Joondalup more than 1 000 additional police officers to deliver on the 250 police officers over and above attrition. We have also increased the police operating budget by some 39 per cent; that is, about $160 million more than the previous Government’s last budget. I am also aware that in the last completed financial year, crime was down by eight per cent across the board and in the last three-month quarter ending in September there was a 15 per cent reduction in crime compared with the quarter before. Mr P.D. Omodei interjected. The SPEAKER: I call the member for Warren-Blackwood to order for the second time. Mrs M.H. ROBERTS: That is nearly 10 000 fewer offences - 10 000 fewer victims of crime - in a three-month period. Mrs C.L. Edwardes: No-one believes you. Mrs M.H. ROBERTS: The member for Kingsley can throw gratuitous insults if she likes, but she should look at the police web site, ask the Commissioner of Police, have a look at the official statistics and then come into this Chamber and apologise. The member for Kalgoorlie has referred to a number of incidents. I suspect that these are the very incidents that I outlined to the Opposition in answer to question on notice 2477 by Hon Ray Halligan on 19 October. I provided some statistics but, unfortunately, he has chosen to misinterpret a number of them. The fact is that the computer aided dispatch and communications services system - CADCOM - that the previous Government left us with was inadequate. Mr M.J. Birney: So it’s the computer’s fault! Mrs M.H. ROBERTS: No, it is the Opposition’s fault. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, members! Mrs M.H. ROBERTS: There is no question that there were only 14 priority 1 incidents in the course of the past year, and I outlined some of those incidents to the member for Kalgoorlie. Often the response to a priority 1 call-out is not recorded at the time, partly because the communication lines are busy and partly because police are far more preoccupied with responding to the incident than they are with reporting the time of the call-out. On a priority 1 call-out, the dispatch vehicle is quite often not the first vehicle on the scene. For example, I looked into one incident in which it was said that it took 99 minutes to respond to a priority 1 incident in Bassendean when, in fact, the manual records indicated that the response time was only two minutes. We are delivering more and better policing. It is obvious that with the new commissioner’s emphasis on front-line policing, complemented by the additional 250 officers on the front line and the 39 per cent increase in the operating budget, the Police Service of Western Australia is delivering.
Mrs M.H. ROBERTS replied: (1)-(4) I am certainly aware of our policy “more police, better policing” and I am proud to have delivered on that. We have some 250 more police over and above attrition. We have put through the Police Academy at Joondalup more than 1 000 additional police officers to deliver on the 250 police officers over and above attrition. We have also increased the police operating budget by some 39 per cent; that is, about $160 million more than the previous Government’s last budget. I am also aware that in the last completed financial year, crime was down by eight per cent across the board and in the last three-month quarter ending in September there was a 15 per cent reduction in crime compared with the quarter before. Mr P.D. Omodei interjected. The SPEAKER: I call the member for Warren-Blackwood to order for the second time. Mrs M.H. ROBERTS: That is nearly 10 000 fewer offences - 10 000 fewer victims of crime - in a three-month period. Mrs C.L. Edwardes: No-one believes you. Mrs M.H. ROBERTS: The member for Kingsley can throw gratuitous insults if she likes, but she should look at the police web site, ask the Commissioner of Police, have a look at the official statistics and then come into this Chamber and apologise. The member for Kalgoorlie has referred to a number of incidents. I suspect that these are the very incidents that I outlined to the Opposition in answer to question on notice 2477 by Hon Ray Halligan on 19 October. I provided some statistics but, unfortunately, he has chosen to misinterpret a number of them. The fact is that the computer aided dispatch and communications services system - CADCOM - that the previous Government left us with was inadequate. Mr M.J. Birney: So it’s the computer’s fault! Mrs M.H. ROBERTS: No, it is the Opposition’s fault. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, members! Mrs M.H. ROBERTS: There is no question that there were only 14 priority 1 incidents in the course of the past year, and I outlined some of those incidents to the member for Kalgoorlie. Often the response to a priority 1 call-out is not recorded at the time, partly because the communication lines are busy and partly because police are far more preoccupied with responding to the incident than they are with reporting the time of the call-out. On a priority 1 call-out, the dispatch vehicle is quite often not the first vehicle on the scene. For example, I looked into one incident in which it was said that it took 99 minutes to respond to a priority 1 incident in Bassendean when, in fact, the manual records indicated that the response time was only two minutes. We are delivering more and better policing. It is obvious that with the new commissioner’s emphasis on front-line policing, complemented by the additional 250 officers on the front line and the 39 per cent increase in the operating budget, the Police Service of Western Australia is delivering.
(1)-(4) I am certainly aware of our policy “more police, better policing” and I am proud to have delivered on that. We have some 250 more police over and above attrition. We have put through the Police Academy at Joondalup more than 1 000 additional police officers to deliver on the 250 police officers over and above attrition. We have also increased the police operating budget by some 39 per cent; that is, about $160 million more than the previous Government’s last budget. I am also aware that in the last completed financial year, crime was down by eight per cent across the board and in the last three-month quarter ending in September there was a 15 per cent reduction in crime compared with the quarter before. Mr P.D. Omodei interjected. The SPEAKER: I call the member for Warren-Blackwood to order for the second time. Mrs M.H. ROBERTS: That is nearly 10 000 fewer offences - 10 000 fewer victims of crime - in a three-month period. Mrs C.L. Edwardes: No-one believes you. Mrs M.H. ROBERTS: The member for Kingsley can throw gratuitous insults if she likes, but she should look at the police web site, ask the Commissioner of Police, have a look at the official statistics and then come into this Chamber and apologise. The member for Kalgoorlie has referred to a number of incidents. I suspect that these are the very incidents that I outlined to the Opposition in answer to question on notice 2477 by Hon Ray Halligan on 19 October. I provided some statistics but, unfortunately, he has chosen to misinterpret a number of them. The fact is that the computer aided dispatch and communications services system - CADCOM - that the previous Government left us with was inadequate. Mr M.J. Birney: So it’s the computer’s fault! Mrs M.H. ROBERTS: No, it is the Opposition’s fault. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, members! Mrs M.H. ROBERTS: There is no question that there were only 14 priority 1 incidents in the course of the past year, and I outlined some of those incidents to the member for Kalgoorlie. Often the response to a priority 1 call-out is not recorded at the time, partly because the communication lines are busy and partly because police are far more preoccupied with responding to the incident than they are with reporting the time of the call-out. On a priority 1 call-out, the dispatch vehicle is quite often not the first vehicle on the scene. For example, I looked into one incident in which it was said that it took 99 minutes to respond to a priority 1 incident in Bassendean when, in fact, the manual records indicated that the response time was only two minutes. We are delivering more and better policing. It is obvious that with the new commissioner’s emphasis on front-line policing, complemented by the additional 250 officers on the front line and the 39 per cent increase in the operating budget, the Police Service of Western Australia is delivering.
Mr P.D. Omodei interjected. The SPEAKER: I call the member for Warren-Blackwood to order for the second time. Mrs M.H. ROBERTS: That is nearly 10 000 fewer offences - 10 000 fewer victims of crime - in a three-month period. Mrs C.L. Edwardes: No-one believes you. Mrs M.H. ROBERTS: The member for Kingsley can throw gratuitous insults if she likes, but she should look at the police web site, ask the Commissioner of Police, have a look at the official statistics and then come into this Chamber and apologise. The member for Kalgoorlie has referred to a number of incidents. I suspect that these are the very incidents that I outlined to the Opposition in answer to question on notice 2477 by Hon Ray Halligan on 19 October. I provided some statistics but, unfortunately, he has chosen to misinterpret a number of them. The fact is that the computer aided dispatch and communications services system - CADCOM - that the previous Government left us with was inadequate. Mr M.J. Birney: So it’s the computer’s fault! Mrs M.H. ROBERTS: No, it is the Opposition’s fault. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, members! Mrs M.H. ROBERTS: There is no question that there were only 14 priority 1 incidents in the course of the past year, and I outlined some of those incidents to the member for Kalgoorlie. Often the response to a priority 1 call-out is not recorded at the time, partly because the communication lines are busy and partly because police are far more preoccupied with responding to the incident than they are with reporting the time of the call-out. On a priority 1 call-out, the dispatch vehicle is quite often not the first vehicle on the scene. For example, I looked into one incident in which it was said that it took 99 minutes to respond to a priority 1 incident in Bassendean when, in fact, the manual records indicated that the response time was only two minutes. We are delivering more and better policing. It is obvious that with the new commissioner’s emphasis on front-line policing, complemented by the additional 250 officers on the front line and the 39 per cent increase in the operating budget, the Police Service of Western Australia is delivering.
The SPEAKER: I call the member for Warren-Blackwood to order for the second time. Mrs M.H. ROBERTS: That is nearly 10 000 fewer offences - 10 000 fewer victims of crime - in a three-month period. Mrs C.L. Edwardes: No-one believes you. Mrs M.H. ROBERTS: The member for Kingsley can throw gratuitous insults if she likes, but she should look at the police web site, ask the Commissioner of Police, have a look at the official statistics and then come into this Chamber and apologise. The member for Kalgoorlie has referred to a number of incidents. I suspect that these are the very incidents that I outlined to the Opposition in answer to question on notice 2477 by Hon Ray Halligan on 19 October. I provided some statistics but, unfortunately, he has chosen to misinterpret a number of them. The fact is that the computer aided dispatch and communications services system - CADCOM - that the previous Government left us with was inadequate. Mr M.J. Birney: So it’s the computer’s fault! Mrs M.H. ROBERTS: No, it is the Opposition’s fault. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, members! Mrs M.H. ROBERTS: There is no question that there were only 14 priority 1 incidents in the course of the past year, and I outlined some of those incidents to the member for Kalgoorlie. Often the response to a priority 1 call-out is not recorded at the time, partly because the communication lines are busy and partly because police are far more preoccupied with responding to the incident than they are with reporting the time of the call-out. On a priority 1 call-out, the dispatch vehicle is quite often not the first vehicle on the scene. For example, I looked into one incident in which it was said that it took 99 minutes to respond to a priority 1 incident in Bassendean when, in fact, the manual records indicated that the response time was only two minutes. We are delivering more and better policing. It is obvious that with the new commissioner’s emphasis on front-line policing, complemented by the additional 250 officers on the front line and the 39 per cent increase in the operating budget, the Police Service of Western Australia is delivering.
Mrs M.H. ROBERTS: That is nearly 10 000 fewer offences - 10 000 fewer victims of crime - in a three-month period. Mrs C.L. Edwardes: No-one believes you. Mrs M.H. ROBERTS: The member for Kingsley can throw gratuitous insults if she likes, but she should look at the police web site, ask the Commissioner of Police, have a look at the official statistics and then come into this Chamber and apologise. The member for Kalgoorlie has referred to a number of incidents. I suspect that these are the very incidents that I outlined to the Opposition in answer to question on notice 2477 by Hon Ray Halligan on 19 October. I provided some statistics but, unfortunately, he has chosen to misinterpret a number of them. The fact is that the computer aided dispatch and communications services system - CADCOM - that the previous Government left us with was inadequate. Mr M.J. Birney: So it’s the computer’s fault! Mrs M.H. ROBERTS: No, it is the Opposition’s fault. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, members! Mrs M.H. ROBERTS: There is no question that there were only 14 priority 1 incidents in the course of the past year, and I outlined some of those incidents to the member for Kalgoorlie. Often the response to a priority 1 call-out is not recorded at the time, partly because the communication lines are busy and partly because police are far more preoccupied with responding to the incident than they are with reporting the time of the call-out. On a priority 1 call-out, the dispatch vehicle is quite often not the first vehicle on the scene. For example, I looked into one incident in which it was said that it took 99 minutes to respond to a priority 1 incident in Bassendean when, in fact, the manual records indicated that the response time was only two minutes. We are delivering more and better policing. It is obvious that with the new commissioner’s emphasis on front-line policing, complemented by the additional 250 officers on the front line and the 39 per cent increase in the operating budget, the Police Service of Western Australia is delivering.
Mrs C.L. Edwardes: No-one believes you. Mrs M.H. ROBERTS: The member for Kingsley can throw gratuitous insults if she likes, but she should look at the police web site, ask the Commissioner of Police, have a look at the official statistics and then come into this Chamber and apologise. The member for Kalgoorlie has referred to a number of incidents. I suspect that these are the very incidents that I outlined to the Opposition in answer to question on notice 2477 by Hon Ray Halligan on 19 October. I provided some statistics but, unfortunately, he has chosen to misinterpret a number of them. The fact is that the computer aided dispatch and communications services system - CADCOM - that the previous Government left us with was inadequate. Mr M.J. Birney: So it’s the computer’s fault! Mrs M.H. ROBERTS: No, it is the Opposition’s fault. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, members! Mrs M.H. ROBERTS: There is no question that there were only 14 priority 1 incidents in the course of the past year, and I outlined some of those incidents to the member for Kalgoorlie. Often the response to a priority 1 call-out is not recorded at the time, partly because the communication lines are busy and partly because police are far more preoccupied with responding to the incident than they are with reporting the time of the call-out. On a priority 1 call-out, the dispatch vehicle is quite often not the first vehicle on the scene. For example, I looked into one incident in which it was said that it took 99 minutes to respond to a priority 1 incident in Bassendean when, in fact, the manual records indicated that the response time was only two minutes. We are delivering more and better policing. It is obvious that with the new commissioner’s emphasis on front-line policing, complemented by the additional 250 officers on the front line and the 39 per cent increase in the operating budget, the Police Service of Western Australia is delivering.
Mrs M.H. ROBERTS: The member for Kingsley can throw gratuitous insults if she likes, but she should look at the police web site, ask the Commissioner of Police, have a look at the official statistics and then come into this Chamber and apologise. The member for Kalgoorlie has referred to a number of incidents. I suspect that these are the very incidents that I outlined to the Opposition in answer to question on notice 2477 by Hon Ray Halligan on 19 October. I provided some statistics but, unfortunately, he has chosen to misinterpret a number of them. The fact is that the computer aided dispatch and communications services system - CADCOM - that the previous Government left us with was inadequate. Mr M.J. Birney: So it’s the computer’s fault! Mrs M.H. ROBERTS: No, it is the Opposition’s fault. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, members! Mrs M.H. ROBERTS: There is no question that there were only 14 priority 1 incidents in the course of the past year, and I outlined some of those incidents to the member for Kalgoorlie. Often the response to a priority 1 call-out is not recorded at the time, partly because the communication lines are busy and partly because police are far more preoccupied with responding to the incident than they are with reporting the time of the call-out. On a priority 1 call-out, the dispatch vehicle is quite often not the first vehicle on the scene. For example, I looked into one incident in which it was said that it took 99 minutes to respond to a priority 1 incident in Bassendean when, in fact, the manual records indicated that the response time was only two minutes. We are delivering more and better policing. It is obvious that with the new commissioner’s emphasis on front-line policing, complemented by the additional 250 officers on the front line and the 39 per cent increase in the operating budget, the Police Service of Western Australia is delivering.
The member for Kalgoorlie has referred to a number of incidents. I suspect that these are the very incidents that I outlined to the Opposition in answer to question on notice 2477 by Hon Ray Halligan on 19 October. I provided some statistics but, unfortunately, he has chosen to misinterpret a number of them. The fact is that the computer aided dispatch and communications services system - CADCOM - that the previous Government left us with was inadequate. Mr M.J. Birney: So it’s the computer’s fault! Mrs M.H. ROBERTS: No, it is the Opposition’s fault. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, members! Mrs M.H. ROBERTS: There is no question that there were only 14 priority 1 incidents in the course of the past year, and I outlined some of those incidents to the member for Kalgoorlie. Often the response to a priority 1 call-out is not recorded at the time, partly because the communication lines are busy and partly because police are far more preoccupied with responding to the incident than they are with reporting the time of the call-out. On a priority 1 call-out, the dispatch vehicle is quite often not the first vehicle on the scene. For example, I looked into one incident in which it was said that it took 99 minutes to respond to a priority 1 incident in Bassendean when, in fact, the manual records indicated that the response time was only two minutes. We are delivering more and better policing. It is obvious that with the new commissioner’s emphasis on front-line policing, complemented by the additional 250 officers on the front line and the 39 per cent increase in the operating budget, the Police Service of Western Australia is delivering.
Mr M.J. Birney: So it’s the computer’s fault! Mrs M.H. ROBERTS: No, it is the Opposition’s fault. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, members! Mrs M.H. ROBERTS: There is no question that there were only 14 priority 1 incidents in the course of the past year, and I outlined some of those incidents to the member for Kalgoorlie. Often the response to a priority 1 call-out is not recorded at the time, partly because the communication lines are busy and partly because police are far more preoccupied with responding to the incident than they are with reporting the time of the call-out. On a priority 1 call-out, the dispatch vehicle is quite often not the first vehicle on the scene. For example, I looked into one incident in which it was said that it took 99 minutes to respond to a priority 1 incident in Bassendean when, in fact, the manual records indicated that the response time was only two minutes. We are delivering more and better policing. It is obvious that with the new commissioner’s emphasis on front-line policing, complemented by the additional 250 officers on the front line and the 39 per cent increase in the operating budget, the Police Service of Western Australia is delivering.
Mrs M.H. ROBERTS: No, it is the Opposition’s fault. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, members! Mrs M.H. ROBERTS: There is no question that there were only 14 priority 1 incidents in the course of the past year, and I outlined some of those incidents to the member for Kalgoorlie. Often the response to a priority 1 call-out is not recorded at the time, partly because the communication lines are busy and partly because police are far more preoccupied with responding to the incident than they are with reporting the time of the call-out. On a priority 1 call-out, the dispatch vehicle is quite often not the first vehicle on the scene. For example, I looked into one incident in which it was said that it took 99 minutes to respond to a priority 1 incident in Bassendean when, in fact, the manual records indicated that the response time was only two minutes. We are delivering more and better policing. It is obvious that with the new commissioner’s emphasis on front-line policing, complemented by the additional 250 officers on the front line and the 39 per cent increase in the operating budget, the Police Service of Western Australia is delivering.
Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, members! Mrs M.H. ROBERTS: There is no question that there were only 14 priority 1 incidents in the course of the past year, and I outlined some of those incidents to the member for Kalgoorlie. Often the response to a priority 1 call-out is not recorded at the time, partly because the communication lines are busy and partly because police are far more preoccupied with responding to the incident than they are with reporting the time of the call-out. On a priority 1 call-out, the dispatch vehicle is quite often not the first vehicle on the scene. For example, I looked into one incident in which it was said that it took 99 minutes to respond to a priority 1 incident in Bassendean when, in fact, the manual records indicated that the response time was only two minutes. We are delivering more and better policing. It is obvious that with the new commissioner’s emphasis on front-line policing, complemented by the additional 250 officers on the front line and the 39 per cent increase in the operating budget, the Police Service of Western Australia is delivering.
The SPEAKER: Order, members! Mrs M.H. ROBERTS: There is no question that there were only 14 priority 1 incidents in the course of the past year, and I outlined some of those incidents to the member for Kalgoorlie. Often the response to a priority 1 call-out is not recorded at the time, partly because the communication lines are busy and partly because police are far more preoccupied with responding to the incident than they are with reporting the time of the call-out. On a priority 1 call-out, the dispatch vehicle is quite often not the first vehicle on the scene. For example, I looked into one incident in which it was said that it took 99 minutes to respond to a priority 1 incident in Bassendean when, in fact, the manual records indicated that the response time was only two minutes. We are delivering more and better policing. It is obvious that with the new commissioner’s emphasis on front-line policing, complemented by the additional 250 officers on the front line and the 39 per cent increase in the operating budget, the Police Service of Western Australia is delivering.
Mrs M.H. ROBERTS: There is no question that there were only 14 priority 1 incidents in the course of the past year, and I outlined some of those incidents to the member for Kalgoorlie. Often the response to a priority 1 call-out is not recorded at the time, partly because the communication lines are busy and partly because police are far more preoccupied with responding to the incident than they are with reporting the time of the call-out. On a priority 1 call-out, the dispatch vehicle is quite often not the first vehicle on the scene. For example, I looked into one incident in which it was said that it took 99 minutes to respond to a priority 1 incident in Bassendean when, in fact, the manual records indicated that the response time was only two minutes. We are delivering more and better policing. It is obvious that with the new commissioner’s emphasis on front-line policing, complemented by the additional 250 officers on the front line and the 39 per cent increase in the operating budget, the Police Service of Western Australia is delivering.
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Tabled Papers
Reports and documents tabled in Parliament.
Committees
Committee profiles and recent reports.
Regulations
Subsidiary legislation with filters and summaries.
Bills
Proposed laws and parliamentary progress.
Acts
Current WA legislation and summaries.
Explanatory Memoranda
Bills with EMs (text/PDF) available.
Members
MP profiles, party breakdown and rankings.
Pollie Rankings
Data-driven rankings across 19 categories.
Amendment Chains
Track how schemes and regulations evolve over time.