❓ POLICE NUMBERS Can the minister please inform the house of how many extra police we have in Western Australia compared with when the last Liberal government left office? Mr J.C. KOBELKE
AnsweredQoN 746Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
POLICE NUMBERS
Can the minister please inform the house of how many extra police we have in Western Australia compared with when the last Liberal government left office? Mr J.C. KOBELKE
Can the minister please inform the house of how many extra police we have in Western Australia compared with when the last Liberal government left office? Mr J.C. KOBELKE
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member for her question because as we are well aware - Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr J.C. KOBELKE : In the last four years of the Liberal coalition government, it did not seek to employ one single additional police officer. There was no growth in Western Australia Police - Several members interjected. Mr J.H.D. Day : Tell us the whole story! The SPEAKER : I will tell members the story. At the moment in question time, the minister is on his feet answering a question that the opposition did not even ask. Therefore, I call the member for Darling Range and the member for Greenough to order. Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the member for Darling Range to order for the second time. Mr J.C. KOBELKE : The figures I have from the police are that in February 2001 there were 4 727 actual full-time equivalent officers in the WA Police. The figures for last month, October 2007, indicate that there were 5 186 FTEs. That is an increase of 459 FTEs. If we take the headcount - because we provide both figures when they are asked for in questions - in February 2001 there were 4 747 actual police officers. Last month there were 5 288. In terms of the headcount, that is an increase of 541 police. In addition to that, approximately 400 police have been moved onto the front line by employing more public servants and restructuring the work being done by the police. It is actually quite astounding that last night on Channel Seven the Leader of the Opposition said - The truth of the matter is that police numbers are down. Where did the Leader of the Opposition get those figures from? Mr P.D. Omodei : There are fewer police officer training cadets than there were in 2000; there are fewer now than in 2000. Mr J.C. KOBELKE : That is not the issue. The Leader of the Opposition said, “The truth of the matter is that police numbers are down.” They are not; they are up. Mr P.D. Omodei : There are fewer people in training as police officers now. It is down from 110 to 105 over seven years. Mr J.C. KOBELKE : In training? Mr P.D. Omodei : In-training police officers. That is from a question you gave me. Mr J.C. KOBELKE : Yes, but the question was not about training in the academy. The Leader of the Opposition said, “The truth of the matter is that police numbers are down.” I just indicated that official figures show that the extra number of police FTEs is 459 and additional headcount is 541. Mr P.D. Omodei : The minister is misleading the public of Western Australia. Mr J.C. KOBELKE : No; the Leader of the Opposition is misleading it, because he has a credibility gap. No-one believes the Leader of the Opposition because, time after time, he says things that are not true. How can the public believe anything that the Leader of the Opposition says? Time after time he makes a statement that is factually wrong, and he does not correct it. I have given the official figures from the police. The Leader of the Opposition is playing a game. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! I call the Leader of the Opposition to order for the first time. Mr J.C. KOBELKE : The Leader of the Opposition says that he would like to have this many police and that we are this many short. He makes up the numbers! He does not actually look at the number of police who are out there protecting the citizens of Western Australia, which has seen a drop in the crime rate - as we are seeing in so many areas. We have a Leader of the Opposition who has a major credibility gap. We do not know that anything he says will actually be true because he does not speak the truth and he does not correct it. No wonder we have a Leader of the Opposition who seeks to protect Hon Shelley Archer and Hon Anthony Fels, because they have been caught out not telling the truth. How can the Leader of the Opposition take them to task when he is caught out time after time saying things that are simply not true?
Mr J.C. KOBELKE replied: I thank the member for her question because as we are well aware - Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr J.C. KOBELKE : In the last four years of the Liberal coalition government, it did not seek to employ one single additional police officer. There was no growth in Western Australia Police - Several members interjected. Mr J.H.D. Day : Tell us the whole story! The SPEAKER : I will tell members the story. At the moment in question time, the minister is on his feet answering a question that the opposition did not even ask. Therefore, I call the member for Darling Range and the member for Greenough to order. Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the member for Darling Range to order for the second time. Mr J.C. KOBELKE : The figures I have from the police are that in February 2001 there were 4 727 actual full-time equivalent officers in the WA Police. The figures for last month, October 2007, indicate that there were 5 186 FTEs. That is an increase of 459 FTEs. If we take the headcount - because we provide both figures when they are asked for in questions - in February 2001 there were 4 747 actual police officers. Last month there were 5 288. In terms of the headcount, that is an increase of 541 police. In addition to that, approximately 400 police have been moved onto the front line by employing more public servants and restructuring the work being done by the police. It is actually quite astounding that last night on Channel Seven the Leader of the Opposition said - The truth of the matter is that police numbers are down. Where did the Leader of the Opposition get those figures from? Mr P.D. Omodei : There are fewer police officer training cadets than there were in 2000; there are fewer now than in 2000. Mr J.C. KOBELKE : That is not the issue. The Leader of the Opposition said, “The truth of the matter is that police numbers are down.” They are not; they are up. Mr P.D. Omodei : There are fewer people in training as police officers now. It is down from 110 to 105 over seven years. Mr J.C. KOBELKE : In training? Mr P.D. Omodei : In-training police officers. That is from a question you gave me. Mr J.C. KOBELKE : Yes, but the question was not about training in the academy. The Leader of the Opposition said, “The truth of the matter is that police numbers are down.” I just indicated that official figures show that the extra number of police FTEs is 459 and additional headcount is 541. Mr P.D. Omodei : The minister is misleading the public of Western Australia. Mr J.C. KOBELKE : No; the Leader of the Opposition is misleading it, because he has a credibility gap. No-one believes the Leader of the Opposition because, time after time, he says things that are not true. How can the public believe anything that the Leader of the Opposition says? Time after time he makes a statement that is factually wrong, and he does not correct it. I have given the official figures from the police. The Leader of the Opposition is playing a game. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! I call the Leader of the Opposition to order for the first time. Mr J.C. KOBELKE : The Leader of the Opposition says that he would like to have this many police and that we are this many short. He makes up the numbers! He does not actually look at the number of police who are out there protecting the citizens of Western Australia, which has seen a drop in the crime rate - as we are seeing in so many areas. We have a Leader of the Opposition who has a major credibility gap. We do not know that anything he says will actually be true because he does not speak the truth and he does not correct it. No wonder we have a Leader of the Opposition who seeks to protect Hon Shelley Archer and Hon Anthony Fels, because they have been caught out not telling the truth. How can the Leader of the Opposition take them to task when he is caught out time after time saying things that are simply not true?
I thank the member for her question because as we are well aware - Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr J.C. KOBELKE : In the last four years of the Liberal coalition government, it did not seek to employ one single additional police officer. There was no growth in Western Australia Police - Several members interjected. Mr J.H.D. Day : Tell us the whole story! The SPEAKER : I will tell members the story. At the moment in question time, the minister is on his feet answering a question that the opposition did not even ask. Therefore, I call the member for Darling Range and the member for Greenough to order. Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the member for Darling Range to order for the second time. Mr J.C. KOBELKE : The figures I have from the police are that in February 2001 there were 4 727 actual full-time equivalent officers in the WA Police. The figures for last month, October 2007, indicate that there were 5 186 FTEs. That is an increase of 459 FTEs. If we take the headcount - because we provide both figures when they are asked for in questions - in February 2001 there were 4 747 actual police officers. Last month there were 5 288. In terms of the headcount, that is an increase of 541 police. In addition to that, approximately 400 police have been moved onto the front line by employing more public servants and restructuring the work being done by the police. It is actually quite astounding that last night on Channel Seven the Leader of the Opposition said - The truth of the matter is that police numbers are down. Where did the Leader of the Opposition get those figures from? Mr P.D. Omodei : There are fewer police officer training cadets than there were in 2000; there are fewer now than in 2000. Mr J.C. KOBELKE : That is not the issue. The Leader of the Opposition said, “The truth of the matter is that police numbers are down.” They are not; they are up. Mr P.D. Omodei : There are fewer people in training as police officers now. It is down from 110 to 105 over seven years. Mr J.C. KOBELKE : In training? Mr P.D. Omodei : In-training police officers. That is from a question you gave me. Mr J.C. KOBELKE : Yes, but the question was not about training in the academy. The Leader of the Opposition said, “The truth of the matter is that police numbers are down.” I just indicated that official figures show that the extra number of police FTEs is 459 and additional headcount is 541. Mr P.D. Omodei : The minister is misleading the public of Western Australia. Mr J.C. KOBELKE : No; the Leader of the Opposition is misleading it, because he has a credibility gap. No-one believes the Leader of the Opposition because, time after time, he says things that are not true. How can the public believe anything that the Leader of the Opposition says? Time after time he makes a statement that is factually wrong, and he does not correct it. I have given the official figures from the police. The Leader of the Opposition is playing a game. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! I call the Leader of the Opposition to order for the first time. Mr J.C. KOBELKE : The Leader of the Opposition says that he would like to have this many police and that we are this many short. He makes up the numbers! He does not actually look at the number of police who are out there protecting the citizens of Western Australia, which has seen a drop in the crime rate - as we are seeing in so many areas. We have a Leader of the Opposition who has a major credibility gap. We do not know that anything he says will actually be true because he does not speak the truth and he does not correct it. No wonder we have a Leader of the Opposition who seeks to protect Hon Shelley Archer and Hon Anthony Fels, because they have been caught out not telling the truth. How can the Leader of the Opposition take them to task when he is caught out time after time saying things that are simply not true?
Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr J.C. KOBELKE : In the last four years of the Liberal coalition government, it did not seek to employ one single additional police officer. There was no growth in Western Australia Police - Several members interjected. Mr J.H.D. Day : Tell us the whole story! The SPEAKER : I will tell members the story. At the moment in question time, the minister is on his feet answering a question that the opposition did not even ask. Therefore, I call the member for Darling Range and the member for Greenough to order. Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the member for Darling Range to order for the second time. Mr J.C. KOBELKE : The figures I have from the police are that in February 2001 there were 4 727 actual full-time equivalent officers in the WA Police. The figures for last month, October 2007, indicate that there were 5 186 FTEs. That is an increase of 459 FTEs. If we take the headcount - because we provide both figures when they are asked for in questions - in February 2001 there were 4 747 actual police officers. Last month there were 5 288. In terms of the headcount, that is an increase of 541 police. In addition to that, approximately 400 police have been moved onto the front line by employing more public servants and restructuring the work being done by the police. It is actually quite astounding that last night on Channel Seven the Leader of the Opposition said - The truth of the matter is that police numbers are down. Where did the Leader of the Opposition get those figures from? Mr P.D. Omodei : There are fewer police officer training cadets than there were in 2000; there are fewer now than in 2000. Mr J.C. KOBELKE : That is not the issue. The Leader of the Opposition said, “The truth of the matter is that police numbers are down.” They are not; they are up. Mr P.D. Omodei : There are fewer people in training as police officers now. It is down from 110 to 105 over seven years. Mr J.C. KOBELKE : In training? Mr P.D. Omodei : In-training police officers. That is from a question you gave me. Mr J.C. KOBELKE : Yes, but the question was not about training in the academy. The Leader of the Opposition said, “The truth of the matter is that police numbers are down.” I just indicated that official figures show that the extra number of police FTEs is 459 and additional headcount is 541. Mr P.D. Omodei : The minister is misleading the public of Western Australia. Mr J.C. KOBELKE : No; the Leader of the Opposition is misleading it, because he has a credibility gap. No-one believes the Leader of the Opposition because, time after time, he says things that are not true. How can the public believe anything that the Leader of the Opposition says? Time after time he makes a statement that is factually wrong, and he does not correct it. I have given the official figures from the police. The Leader of the Opposition is playing a game. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! I call the Leader of the Opposition to order for the first time. Mr J.C. KOBELKE : The Leader of the Opposition says that he would like to have this many police and that we are this many short. He makes up the numbers! He does not actually look at the number of police who are out there protecting the citizens of Western Australia, which has seen a drop in the crime rate - as we are seeing in so many areas. We have a Leader of the Opposition who has a major credibility gap. We do not know that anything he says will actually be true because he does not speak the truth and he does not correct it. No wonder we have a Leader of the Opposition who seeks to protect Hon Shelley Archer and Hon Anthony Fels, because they have been caught out not telling the truth. How can the Leader of the Opposition take them to task when he is caught out time after time saying things that are simply not true?
The SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr J.C. KOBELKE : In the last four years of the Liberal coalition government, it did not seek to employ one single additional police officer. There was no growth in Western Australia Police - Several members interjected. Mr J.H.D. Day : Tell us the whole story! The SPEAKER : I will tell members the story. At the moment in question time, the minister is on his feet answering a question that the opposition did not even ask. Therefore, I call the member for Darling Range and the member for Greenough to order. Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the member for Darling Range to order for the second time. Mr J.C. KOBELKE : The figures I have from the police are that in February 2001 there were 4 727 actual full-time equivalent officers in the WA Police. The figures for last month, October 2007, indicate that there were 5 186 FTEs. That is an increase of 459 FTEs. If we take the headcount - because we provide both figures when they are asked for in questions - in February 2001 there were 4 747 actual police officers. Last month there were 5 288. In terms of the headcount, that is an increase of 541 police. In addition to that, approximately 400 police have been moved onto the front line by employing more public servants and restructuring the work being done by the police. It is actually quite astounding that last night on Channel Seven the Leader of the Opposition said - The truth of the matter is that police numbers are down. Where did the Leader of the Opposition get those figures from? Mr P.D. Omodei : There are fewer police officer training cadets than there were in 2000; there are fewer now than in 2000. Mr J.C. KOBELKE : That is not the issue. The Leader of the Opposition said, “The truth of the matter is that police numbers are down.” They are not; they are up. Mr P.D. Omodei : There are fewer people in training as police officers now. It is down from 110 to 105 over seven years. Mr J.C. KOBELKE : In training? Mr P.D. Omodei : In-training police officers. That is from a question you gave me. Mr J.C. KOBELKE : Yes, but the question was not about training in the academy. The Leader of the Opposition said, “The truth of the matter is that police numbers are down.” I just indicated that official figures show that the extra number of police FTEs is 459 and additional headcount is 541. Mr P.D. Omodei : The minister is misleading the public of Western Australia. Mr J.C. KOBELKE : No; the Leader of the Opposition is misleading it, because he has a credibility gap. No-one believes the Leader of the Opposition because, time after time, he says things that are not true. How can the public believe anything that the Leader of the Opposition says? Time after time he makes a statement that is factually wrong, and he does not correct it. I have given the official figures from the police. The Leader of the Opposition is playing a game. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! I call the Leader of the Opposition to order for the first time. Mr J.C. KOBELKE : The Leader of the Opposition says that he would like to have this many police and that we are this many short. He makes up the numbers! He does not actually look at the number of police who are out there protecting the citizens of Western Australia, which has seen a drop in the crime rate - as we are seeing in so many areas. We have a Leader of the Opposition who has a major credibility gap. We do not know that anything he says will actually be true because he does not speak the truth and he does not correct it. No wonder we have a Leader of the Opposition who seeks to protect Hon Shelley Archer and Hon Anthony Fels, because they have been caught out not telling the truth. How can the Leader of the Opposition take them to task when he is caught out time after time saying things that are simply not true?
Mr J.C. KOBELKE : In the last four years of the Liberal coalition government, it did not seek to employ one single additional police officer. There was no growth in Western Australia Police - Several members interjected. Mr J.H.D. Day : Tell us the whole story! The SPEAKER : I will tell members the story. At the moment in question time, the minister is on his feet answering a question that the opposition did not even ask. Therefore, I call the member for Darling Range and the member for Greenough to order. Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the member for Darling Range to order for the second time. Mr J.C. KOBELKE : The figures I have from the police are that in February 2001 there were 4 727 actual full-time equivalent officers in the WA Police. The figures for last month, October 2007, indicate that there were 5 186 FTEs. That is an increase of 459 FTEs. If we take the headcount - because we provide both figures when they are asked for in questions - in February 2001 there were 4 747 actual police officers. Last month there were 5 288. In terms of the headcount, that is an increase of 541 police. In addition to that, approximately 400 police have been moved onto the front line by employing more public servants and restructuring the work being done by the police. It is actually quite astounding that last night on Channel Seven the Leader of the Opposition said - The truth of the matter is that police numbers are down. Where did the Leader of the Opposition get those figures from? Mr P.D. Omodei : There are fewer police officer training cadets than there were in 2000; there are fewer now than in 2000. Mr J.C. KOBELKE : That is not the issue. The Leader of the Opposition said, “The truth of the matter is that police numbers are down.” They are not; they are up. Mr P.D. Omodei : There are fewer people in training as police officers now. It is down from 110 to 105 over seven years. Mr J.C. KOBELKE : In training? Mr P.D. Omodei : In-training police officers. That is from a question you gave me. Mr J.C. KOBELKE : Yes, but the question was not about training in the academy. The Leader of the Opposition said, “The truth of the matter is that police numbers are down.” I just indicated that official figures show that the extra number of police FTEs is 459 and additional headcount is 541. Mr P.D. Omodei : The minister is misleading the public of Western Australia. Mr J.C. KOBELKE : No; the Leader of the Opposition is misleading it, because he has a credibility gap. No-one believes the Leader of the Opposition because, time after time, he says things that are not true. How can the public believe anything that the Leader of the Opposition says? Time after time he makes a statement that is factually wrong, and he does not correct it. I have given the official figures from the police. The Leader of the Opposition is playing a game. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! I call the Leader of the Opposition to order for the first time. Mr J.C. KOBELKE : The Leader of the Opposition says that he would like to have this many police and that we are this many short. He makes up the numbers! He does not actually look at the number of police who are out there protecting the citizens of Western Australia, which has seen a drop in the crime rate - as we are seeing in so many areas. We have a Leader of the Opposition who has a major credibility gap. We do not know that anything he says will actually be true because he does not speak the truth and he does not correct it. No wonder we have a Leader of the Opposition who seeks to protect Hon Shelley Archer and Hon Anthony Fels, because they have been caught out not telling the truth. How can the Leader of the Opposition take them to task when he is caught out time after time saying things that are simply not true?
Several members interjected. Mr J.H.D. Day : Tell us the whole story! The SPEAKER : I will tell members the story. At the moment in question time, the minister is on his feet answering a question that the opposition did not even ask. Therefore, I call the member for Darling Range and the member for Greenough to order. Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the member for Darling Range to order for the second time. Mr J.C. KOBELKE : The figures I have from the police are that in February 2001 there were 4 727 actual full-time equivalent officers in the WA Police. The figures for last month, October 2007, indicate that there were 5 186 FTEs. That is an increase of 459 FTEs. If we take the headcount - because we provide both figures when they are asked for in questions - in February 2001 there were 4 747 actual police officers. Last month there were 5 288. In terms of the headcount, that is an increase of 541 police. In addition to that, approximately 400 police have been moved onto the front line by employing more public servants and restructuring the work being done by the police. It is actually quite astounding that last night on Channel Seven the Leader of the Opposition said - The truth of the matter is that police numbers are down. Where did the Leader of the Opposition get those figures from? Mr P.D. Omodei : There are fewer police officer training cadets than there were in 2000; there are fewer now than in 2000. Mr J.C. KOBELKE : That is not the issue. The Leader of the Opposition said, “The truth of the matter is that police numbers are down.” They are not; they are up. Mr P.D. Omodei : There are fewer people in training as police officers now. It is down from 110 to 105 over seven years. Mr J.C. KOBELKE : In training? Mr P.D. Omodei : In-training police officers. That is from a question you gave me. Mr J.C. KOBELKE : Yes, but the question was not about training in the academy. The Leader of the Opposition said, “The truth of the matter is that police numbers are down.” I just indicated that official figures show that the extra number of police FTEs is 459 and additional headcount is 541. Mr P.D. Omodei : The minister is misleading the public of Western Australia. Mr J.C. KOBELKE : No; the Leader of the Opposition is misleading it, because he has a credibility gap. No-one believes the Leader of the Opposition because, time after time, he says things that are not true. How can the public believe anything that the Leader of the Opposition says? Time after time he makes a statement that is factually wrong, and he does not correct it. I have given the official figures from the police. The Leader of the Opposition is playing a game. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! I call the Leader of the Opposition to order for the first time. Mr J.C. KOBELKE : The Leader of the Opposition says that he would like to have this many police and that we are this many short. He makes up the numbers! He does not actually look at the number of police who are out there protecting the citizens of Western Australia, which has seen a drop in the crime rate - as we are seeing in so many areas. We have a Leader of the Opposition who has a major credibility gap. We do not know that anything he says will actually be true because he does not speak the truth and he does not correct it. No wonder we have a Leader of the Opposition who seeks to protect Hon Shelley Archer and Hon Anthony Fels, because they have been caught out not telling the truth. How can the Leader of the Opposition take them to task when he is caught out time after time saying things that are simply not true?
Mr J.H.D. Day : Tell us the whole story! The SPEAKER : I will tell members the story. At the moment in question time, the minister is on his feet answering a question that the opposition did not even ask. Therefore, I call the member for Darling Range and the member for Greenough to order. Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the member for Darling Range to order for the second time. Mr J.C. KOBELKE : The figures I have from the police are that in February 2001 there were 4 727 actual full-time equivalent officers in the WA Police. The figures for last month, October 2007, indicate that there were 5 186 FTEs. That is an increase of 459 FTEs. If we take the headcount - because we provide both figures when they are asked for in questions - in February 2001 there were 4 747 actual police officers. Last month there were 5 288. In terms of the headcount, that is an increase of 541 police. In addition to that, approximately 400 police have been moved onto the front line by employing more public servants and restructuring the work being done by the police. It is actually quite astounding that last night on Channel Seven the Leader of the Opposition said - The truth of the matter is that police numbers are down. Where did the Leader of the Opposition get those figures from? Mr P.D. Omodei : There are fewer police officer training cadets than there were in 2000; there are fewer now than in 2000. Mr J.C. KOBELKE : That is not the issue. The Leader of the Opposition said, “The truth of the matter is that police numbers are down.” They are not; they are up. Mr P.D. Omodei : There are fewer people in training as police officers now. It is down from 110 to 105 over seven years. Mr J.C. KOBELKE : In training? Mr P.D. Omodei : In-training police officers. That is from a question you gave me. Mr J.C. KOBELKE : Yes, but the question was not about training in the academy. The Leader of the Opposition said, “The truth of the matter is that police numbers are down.” I just indicated that official figures show that the extra number of police FTEs is 459 and additional headcount is 541. Mr P.D. Omodei : The minister is misleading the public of Western Australia. Mr J.C. KOBELKE : No; the Leader of the Opposition is misleading it, because he has a credibility gap. No-one believes the Leader of the Opposition because, time after time, he says things that are not true. How can the public believe anything that the Leader of the Opposition says? Time after time he makes a statement that is factually wrong, and he does not correct it. I have given the official figures from the police. The Leader of the Opposition is playing a game. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! I call the Leader of the Opposition to order for the first time. Mr J.C. KOBELKE : The Leader of the Opposition says that he would like to have this many police and that we are this many short. He makes up the numbers! He does not actually look at the number of police who are out there protecting the citizens of Western Australia, which has seen a drop in the crime rate - as we are seeing in so many areas. We have a Leader of the Opposition who has a major credibility gap. We do not know that anything he says will actually be true because he does not speak the truth and he does not correct it. No wonder we have a Leader of the Opposition who seeks to protect Hon Shelley Archer and Hon Anthony Fels, because they have been caught out not telling the truth. How can the Leader of the Opposition take them to task when he is caught out time after time saying things that are simply not true?
The SPEAKER : I will tell members the story. At the moment in question time, the minister is on his feet answering a question that the opposition did not even ask. Therefore, I call the member for Darling Range and the member for Greenough to order. Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the member for Darling Range to order for the second time. Mr J.C. KOBELKE : The figures I have from the police are that in February 2001 there were 4 727 actual full-time equivalent officers in the WA Police. The figures for last month, October 2007, indicate that there were 5 186 FTEs. That is an increase of 459 FTEs. If we take the headcount - because we provide both figures when they are asked for in questions - in February 2001 there were 4 747 actual police officers. Last month there were 5 288. In terms of the headcount, that is an increase of 541 police. In addition to that, approximately 400 police have been moved onto the front line by employing more public servants and restructuring the work being done by the police. It is actually quite astounding that last night on Channel Seven the Leader of the Opposition said - The truth of the matter is that police numbers are down. Where did the Leader of the Opposition get those figures from? Mr P.D. Omodei : There are fewer police officer training cadets than there were in 2000; there are fewer now than in 2000. Mr J.C. KOBELKE : That is not the issue. The Leader of the Opposition said, “The truth of the matter is that police numbers are down.” They are not; they are up. Mr P.D. Omodei : There are fewer people in training as police officers now. It is down from 110 to 105 over seven years. Mr J.C. KOBELKE : In training? Mr P.D. Omodei : In-training police officers. That is from a question you gave me. Mr J.C. KOBELKE : Yes, but the question was not about training in the academy. The Leader of the Opposition said, “The truth of the matter is that police numbers are down.” I just indicated that official figures show that the extra number of police FTEs is 459 and additional headcount is 541. Mr P.D. Omodei : The minister is misleading the public of Western Australia. Mr J.C. KOBELKE : No; the Leader of the Opposition is misleading it, because he has a credibility gap. No-one believes the Leader of the Opposition because, time after time, he says things that are not true. How can the public believe anything that the Leader of the Opposition says? Time after time he makes a statement that is factually wrong, and he does not correct it. I have given the official figures from the police. The Leader of the Opposition is playing a game. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! I call the Leader of the Opposition to order for the first time. Mr J.C. KOBELKE : The Leader of the Opposition says that he would like to have this many police and that we are this many short. He makes up the numbers! He does not actually look at the number of police who are out there protecting the citizens of Western Australia, which has seen a drop in the crime rate - as we are seeing in so many areas. We have a Leader of the Opposition who has a major credibility gap. We do not know that anything he says will actually be true because he does not speak the truth and he does not correct it. No wonder we have a Leader of the Opposition who seeks to protect Hon Shelley Archer and Hon Anthony Fels, because they have been caught out not telling the truth. How can the Leader of the Opposition take them to task when he is caught out time after time saying things that are simply not true?
Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the member for Darling Range to order for the second time. Mr J.C. KOBELKE : The figures I have from the police are that in February 2001 there were 4 727 actual full-time equivalent officers in the WA Police. The figures for last month, October 2007, indicate that there were 5 186 FTEs. That is an increase of 459 FTEs. If we take the headcount - because we provide both figures when they are asked for in questions - in February 2001 there were 4 747 actual police officers. Last month there were 5 288. In terms of the headcount, that is an increase of 541 police. In addition to that, approximately 400 police have been moved onto the front line by employing more public servants and restructuring the work being done by the police. It is actually quite astounding that last night on Channel Seven the Leader of the Opposition said - The truth of the matter is that police numbers are down. Where did the Leader of the Opposition get those figures from? Mr P.D. Omodei : There are fewer police officer training cadets than there were in 2000; there are fewer now than in 2000. Mr J.C. KOBELKE : That is not the issue. The Leader of the Opposition said, “The truth of the matter is that police numbers are down.” They are not; they are up. Mr P.D. Omodei : There are fewer people in training as police officers now. It is down from 110 to 105 over seven years. Mr J.C. KOBELKE : In training? Mr P.D. Omodei : In-training police officers. That is from a question you gave me. Mr J.C. KOBELKE : Yes, but the question was not about training in the academy. The Leader of the Opposition said, “The truth of the matter is that police numbers are down.” I just indicated that official figures show that the extra number of police FTEs is 459 and additional headcount is 541. Mr P.D. Omodei : The minister is misleading the public of Western Australia. Mr J.C. KOBELKE : No; the Leader of the Opposition is misleading it, because he has a credibility gap. No-one believes the Leader of the Opposition because, time after time, he says things that are not true. How can the public believe anything that the Leader of the Opposition says? Time after time he makes a statement that is factually wrong, and he does not correct it. I have given the official figures from the police. The Leader of the Opposition is playing a game. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! I call the Leader of the Opposition to order for the first time. Mr J.C. KOBELKE : The Leader of the Opposition says that he would like to have this many police and that we are this many short. He makes up the numbers! He does not actually look at the number of police who are out there protecting the citizens of Western Australia, which has seen a drop in the crime rate - as we are seeing in so many areas. We have a Leader of the Opposition who has a major credibility gap. We do not know that anything he says will actually be true because he does not speak the truth and he does not correct it. No wonder we have a Leader of the Opposition who seeks to protect Hon Shelley Archer and Hon Anthony Fels, because they have been caught out not telling the truth. How can the Leader of the Opposition take them to task when he is caught out time after time saying things that are simply not true?
The SPEAKER : I call the member for Darling Range to order for the second time. Mr J.C. KOBELKE : The figures I have from the police are that in February 2001 there were 4 727 actual full-time equivalent officers in the WA Police. The figures for last month, October 2007, indicate that there were 5 186 FTEs. That is an increase of 459 FTEs. If we take the headcount - because we provide both figures when they are asked for in questions - in February 2001 there were 4 747 actual police officers. Last month there were 5 288. In terms of the headcount, that is an increase of 541 police. In addition to that, approximately 400 police have been moved onto the front line by employing more public servants and restructuring the work being done by the police. It is actually quite astounding that last night on Channel Seven the Leader of the Opposition said - The truth of the matter is that police numbers are down. Where did the Leader of the Opposition get those figures from? Mr P.D. Omodei : There are fewer police officer training cadets than there were in 2000; there are fewer now than in 2000. Mr J.C. KOBELKE : That is not the issue. The Leader of the Opposition said, “The truth of the matter is that police numbers are down.” They are not; they are up. Mr P.D. Omodei : There are fewer people in training as police officers now. It is down from 110 to 105 over seven years. Mr J.C. KOBELKE : In training? Mr P.D. Omodei : In-training police officers. That is from a question you gave me. Mr J.C. KOBELKE : Yes, but the question was not about training in the academy. The Leader of the Opposition said, “The truth of the matter is that police numbers are down.” I just indicated that official figures show that the extra number of police FTEs is 459 and additional headcount is 541. Mr P.D. Omodei : The minister is misleading the public of Western Australia. Mr J.C. KOBELKE : No; the Leader of the Opposition is misleading it, because he has a credibility gap. No-one believes the Leader of the Opposition because, time after time, he says things that are not true. How can the public believe anything that the Leader of the Opposition says? Time after time he makes a statement that is factually wrong, and he does not correct it. I have given the official figures from the police. The Leader of the Opposition is playing a game. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! I call the Leader of the Opposition to order for the first time. Mr J.C. KOBELKE : The Leader of the Opposition says that he would like to have this many police and that we are this many short. He makes up the numbers! He does not actually look at the number of police who are out there protecting the citizens of Western Australia, which has seen a drop in the crime rate - as we are seeing in so many areas. We have a Leader of the Opposition who has a major credibility gap. We do not know that anything he says will actually be true because he does not speak the truth and he does not correct it. No wonder we have a Leader of the Opposition who seeks to protect Hon Shelley Archer and Hon Anthony Fels, because they have been caught out not telling the truth. How can the Leader of the Opposition take them to task when he is caught out time after time saying things that are simply not true?
Mr J.C. KOBELKE : The figures I have from the police are that in February 2001 there were 4 727 actual full-time equivalent officers in the WA Police. The figures for last month, October 2007, indicate that there were 5 186 FTEs. That is an increase of 459 FTEs. If we take the headcount - because we provide both figures when they are asked for in questions - in February 2001 there were 4 747 actual police officers. Last month there were 5 288. In terms of the headcount, that is an increase of 541 police. In addition to that, approximately 400 police have been moved onto the front line by employing more public servants and restructuring the work being done by the police. It is actually quite astounding that last night on Channel Seven the Leader of the Opposition said - The truth of the matter is that police numbers are down. Where did the Leader of the Opposition get those figures from? Mr P.D. Omodei : There are fewer police officer training cadets than there were in 2000; there are fewer now than in 2000. Mr J.C. KOBELKE : That is not the issue. The Leader of the Opposition said, “The truth of the matter is that police numbers are down.” They are not; they are up. Mr P.D. Omodei : There are fewer people in training as police officers now. It is down from 110 to 105 over seven years. Mr J.C. KOBELKE : In training? Mr P.D. Omodei : In-training police officers. That is from a question you gave me. Mr J.C. KOBELKE : Yes, but the question was not about training in the academy. The Leader of the Opposition said, “The truth of the matter is that police numbers are down.” I just indicated that official figures show that the extra number of police FTEs is 459 and additional headcount is 541. Mr P.D. Omodei : The minister is misleading the public of Western Australia. Mr J.C. KOBELKE : No; the Leader of the Opposition is misleading it, because he has a credibility gap. No-one believes the Leader of the Opposition because, time after time, he says things that are not true. How can the public believe anything that the Leader of the Opposition says? Time after time he makes a statement that is factually wrong, and he does not correct it. I have given the official figures from the police. The Leader of the Opposition is playing a game. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! I call the Leader of the Opposition to order for the first time. Mr J.C. KOBELKE : The Leader of the Opposition says that he would like to have this many police and that we are this many short. He makes up the numbers! He does not actually look at the number of police who are out there protecting the citizens of Western Australia, which has seen a drop in the crime rate - as we are seeing in so many areas. We have a Leader of the Opposition who has a major credibility gap. We do not know that anything he says will actually be true because he does not speak the truth and he does not correct it. No wonder we have a Leader of the Opposition who seeks to protect Hon Shelley Archer and Hon Anthony Fels, because they have been caught out not telling the truth. How can the Leader of the Opposition take them to task when he is caught out time after time saying things that are simply not true?
Mr P.D. Omodei : There are fewer police officer training cadets than there were in 2000; there are fewer now than in 2000. Mr J.C. KOBELKE : That is not the issue. The Leader of the Opposition said, “The truth of the matter is that police numbers are down.” They are not; they are up. Mr P.D. Omodei : There are fewer people in training as police officers now. It is down from 110 to 105 over seven years. Mr J.C. KOBELKE : In training? Mr P.D. Omodei : In-training police officers. That is from a question you gave me. Mr J.C. KOBELKE : Yes, but the question was not about training in the academy. The Leader of the Opposition said, “The truth of the matter is that police numbers are down.” I just indicated that official figures show that the extra number of police FTEs is 459 and additional headcount is 541. Mr P.D. Omodei : The minister is misleading the public of Western Australia. Mr J.C. KOBELKE : No; the Leader of the Opposition is misleading it, because he has a credibility gap. No-one believes the Leader of the Opposition because, time after time, he says things that are not true. How can the public believe anything that the Leader of the Opposition says? Time after time he makes a statement that is factually wrong, and he does not correct it. I have given the official figures from the police. The Leader of the Opposition is playing a game. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! I call the Leader of the Opposition to order for the first time. Mr J.C. KOBELKE : The Leader of the Opposition says that he would like to have this many police and that we are this many short. He makes up the numbers! He does not actually look at the number of police who are out there protecting the citizens of Western Australia, which has seen a drop in the crime rate - as we are seeing in so many areas. We have a Leader of the Opposition who has a major credibility gap. We do not know that anything he says will actually be true because he does not speak the truth and he does not correct it. No wonder we have a Leader of the Opposition who seeks to protect Hon Shelley Archer and Hon Anthony Fels, because they have been caught out not telling the truth. How can the Leader of the Opposition take them to task when he is caught out time after time saying things that are simply not true?
Mr J.C. KOBELKE : That is not the issue. The Leader of the Opposition said, “The truth of the matter is that police numbers are down.” They are not; they are up. Mr P.D. Omodei : There are fewer people in training as police officers now. It is down from 110 to 105 over seven years. Mr J.C. KOBELKE : In training? Mr P.D. Omodei : In-training police officers. That is from a question you gave me. Mr J.C. KOBELKE : Yes, but the question was not about training in the academy. The Leader of the Opposition said, “The truth of the matter is that police numbers are down.” I just indicated that official figures show that the extra number of police FTEs is 459 and additional headcount is 541. Mr P.D. Omodei : The minister is misleading the public of Western Australia. Mr J.C. KOBELKE : No; the Leader of the Opposition is misleading it, because he has a credibility gap. No-one believes the Leader of the Opposition because, time after time, he says things that are not true. How can the public believe anything that the Leader of the Opposition says? Time after time he makes a statement that is factually wrong, and he does not correct it. I have given the official figures from the police. The Leader of the Opposition is playing a game. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! I call the Leader of the Opposition to order for the first time. Mr J.C. KOBELKE : The Leader of the Opposition says that he would like to have this many police and that we are this many short. He makes up the numbers! He does not actually look at the number of police who are out there protecting the citizens of Western Australia, which has seen a drop in the crime rate - as we are seeing in so many areas. We have a Leader of the Opposition who has a major credibility gap. We do not know that anything he says will actually be true because he does not speak the truth and he does not correct it. No wonder we have a Leader of the Opposition who seeks to protect Hon Shelley Archer and Hon Anthony Fels, because they have been caught out not telling the truth. How can the Leader of the Opposition take them to task when he is caught out time after time saying things that are simply not true?
Mr P.D. Omodei : There are fewer people in training as police officers now. It is down from 110 to 105 over seven years. Mr J.C. KOBELKE : In training? Mr P.D. Omodei : In-training police officers. That is from a question you gave me. Mr J.C. KOBELKE : Yes, but the question was not about training in the academy. The Leader of the Opposition said, “The truth of the matter is that police numbers are down.” I just indicated that official figures show that the extra number of police FTEs is 459 and additional headcount is 541. Mr P.D. Omodei : The minister is misleading the public of Western Australia. Mr J.C. KOBELKE : No; the Leader of the Opposition is misleading it, because he has a credibility gap. No-one believes the Leader of the Opposition because, time after time, he says things that are not true. How can the public believe anything that the Leader of the Opposition says? Time after time he makes a statement that is factually wrong, and he does not correct it. I have given the official figures from the police. The Leader of the Opposition is playing a game. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! I call the Leader of the Opposition to order for the first time. Mr J.C. KOBELKE : The Leader of the Opposition says that he would like to have this many police and that we are this many short. He makes up the numbers! He does not actually look at the number of police who are out there protecting the citizens of Western Australia, which has seen a drop in the crime rate - as we are seeing in so many areas. We have a Leader of the Opposition who has a major credibility gap. We do not know that anything he says will actually be true because he does not speak the truth and he does not correct it. No wonder we have a Leader of the Opposition who seeks to protect Hon Shelley Archer and Hon Anthony Fels, because they have been caught out not telling the truth. How can the Leader of the Opposition take them to task when he is caught out time after time saying things that are simply not true?
Mr J.C. KOBELKE : In training? Mr P.D. Omodei : In-training police officers. That is from a question you gave me. Mr J.C. KOBELKE : Yes, but the question was not about training in the academy. The Leader of the Opposition said, “The truth of the matter is that police numbers are down.” I just indicated that official figures show that the extra number of police FTEs is 459 and additional headcount is 541. Mr P.D. Omodei : The minister is misleading the public of Western Australia. Mr J.C. KOBELKE : No; the Leader of the Opposition is misleading it, because he has a credibility gap. No-one believes the Leader of the Opposition because, time after time, he says things that are not true. How can the public believe anything that the Leader of the Opposition says? Time after time he makes a statement that is factually wrong, and he does not correct it. I have given the official figures from the police. The Leader of the Opposition is playing a game. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! I call the Leader of the Opposition to order for the first time. Mr J.C. KOBELKE : The Leader of the Opposition says that he would like to have this many police and that we are this many short. He makes up the numbers! He does not actually look at the number of police who are out there protecting the citizens of Western Australia, which has seen a drop in the crime rate - as we are seeing in so many areas. We have a Leader of the Opposition who has a major credibility gap. We do not know that anything he says will actually be true because he does not speak the truth and he does not correct it. No wonder we have a Leader of the Opposition who seeks to protect Hon Shelley Archer and Hon Anthony Fels, because they have been caught out not telling the truth. How can the Leader of the Opposition take them to task when he is caught out time after time saying things that are simply not true?
Mr P.D. Omodei : In-training police officers. That is from a question you gave me. Mr J.C. KOBELKE : Yes, but the question was not about training in the academy. The Leader of the Opposition said, “The truth of the matter is that police numbers are down.” I just indicated that official figures show that the extra number of police FTEs is 459 and additional headcount is 541. Mr P.D. Omodei : The minister is misleading the public of Western Australia. Mr J.C. KOBELKE : No; the Leader of the Opposition is misleading it, because he has a credibility gap. No-one believes the Leader of the Opposition because, time after time, he says things that are not true. How can the public believe anything that the Leader of the Opposition says? Time after time he makes a statement that is factually wrong, and he does not correct it. I have given the official figures from the police. The Leader of the Opposition is playing a game. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! I call the Leader of the Opposition to order for the first time. Mr J.C. KOBELKE : The Leader of the Opposition says that he would like to have this many police and that we are this many short. He makes up the numbers! He does not actually look at the number of police who are out there protecting the citizens of Western Australia, which has seen a drop in the crime rate - as we are seeing in so many areas. We have a Leader of the Opposition who has a major credibility gap. We do not know that anything he says will actually be true because he does not speak the truth and he does not correct it. No wonder we have a Leader of the Opposition who seeks to protect Hon Shelley Archer and Hon Anthony Fels, because they have been caught out not telling the truth. How can the Leader of the Opposition take them to task when he is caught out time after time saying things that are simply not true?
Mr J.C. KOBELKE : Yes, but the question was not about training in the academy. The Leader of the Opposition said, “The truth of the matter is that police numbers are down.” I just indicated that official figures show that the extra number of police FTEs is 459 and additional headcount is 541. Mr P.D. Omodei : The minister is misleading the public of Western Australia. Mr J.C. KOBELKE : No; the Leader of the Opposition is misleading it, because he has a credibility gap. No-one believes the Leader of the Opposition because, time after time, he says things that are not true. How can the public believe anything that the Leader of the Opposition says? Time after time he makes a statement that is factually wrong, and he does not correct it. I have given the official figures from the police. The Leader of the Opposition is playing a game. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! I call the Leader of the Opposition to order for the first time. Mr J.C. KOBELKE : The Leader of the Opposition says that he would like to have this many police and that we are this many short. He makes up the numbers! He does not actually look at the number of police who are out there protecting the citizens of Western Australia, which has seen a drop in the crime rate - as we are seeing in so many areas. We have a Leader of the Opposition who has a major credibility gap. We do not know that anything he says will actually be true because he does not speak the truth and he does not correct it. No wonder we have a Leader of the Opposition who seeks to protect Hon Shelley Archer and Hon Anthony Fels, because they have been caught out not telling the truth. How can the Leader of the Opposition take them to task when he is caught out time after time saying things that are simply not true?
Mr P.D. Omodei : The minister is misleading the public of Western Australia. Mr J.C. KOBELKE : No; the Leader of the Opposition is misleading it, because he has a credibility gap. No-one believes the Leader of the Opposition because, time after time, he says things that are not true. How can the public believe anything that the Leader of the Opposition says? Time after time he makes a statement that is factually wrong, and he does not correct it. I have given the official figures from the police. The Leader of the Opposition is playing a game. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! I call the Leader of the Opposition to order for the first time. Mr J.C. KOBELKE : The Leader of the Opposition says that he would like to have this many police and that we are this many short. He makes up the numbers! He does not actually look at the number of police who are out there protecting the citizens of Western Australia, which has seen a drop in the crime rate - as we are seeing in so many areas. We have a Leader of the Opposition who has a major credibility gap. We do not know that anything he says will actually be true because he does not speak the truth and he does not correct it. No wonder we have a Leader of the Opposition who seeks to protect Hon Shelley Archer and Hon Anthony Fels, because they have been caught out not telling the truth. How can the Leader of the Opposition take them to task when he is caught out time after time saying things that are simply not true?
Mr J.C. KOBELKE : No; the Leader of the Opposition is misleading it, because he has a credibility gap. No-one believes the Leader of the Opposition because, time after time, he says things that are not true. How can the public believe anything that the Leader of the Opposition says? Time after time he makes a statement that is factually wrong, and he does not correct it. I have given the official figures from the police. The Leader of the Opposition is playing a game. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! I call the Leader of the Opposition to order for the first time. Mr J.C. KOBELKE : The Leader of the Opposition says that he would like to have this many police and that we are this many short. He makes up the numbers! He does not actually look at the number of police who are out there protecting the citizens of Western Australia, which has seen a drop in the crime rate - as we are seeing in so many areas. We have a Leader of the Opposition who has a major credibility gap. We do not know that anything he says will actually be true because he does not speak the truth and he does not correct it. No wonder we have a Leader of the Opposition who seeks to protect Hon Shelley Archer and Hon Anthony Fels, because they have been caught out not telling the truth. How can the Leader of the Opposition take them to task when he is caught out time after time saying things that are simply not true?
Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! I call the Leader of the Opposition to order for the first time. Mr J.C. KOBELKE : The Leader of the Opposition says that he would like to have this many police and that we are this many short. He makes up the numbers! He does not actually look at the number of police who are out there protecting the citizens of Western Australia, which has seen a drop in the crime rate - as we are seeing in so many areas. We have a Leader of the Opposition who has a major credibility gap. We do not know that anything he says will actually be true because he does not speak the truth and he does not correct it. No wonder we have a Leader of the Opposition who seeks to protect Hon Shelley Archer and Hon Anthony Fels, because they have been caught out not telling the truth. How can the Leader of the Opposition take them to task when he is caught out time after time saying things that are simply not true?
The SPEAKER : Order! I call the Leader of the Opposition to order for the first time. Mr J.C. KOBELKE : The Leader of the Opposition says that he would like to have this many police and that we are this many short. He makes up the numbers! He does not actually look at the number of police who are out there protecting the citizens of Western Australia, which has seen a drop in the crime rate - as we are seeing in so many areas. We have a Leader of the Opposition who has a major credibility gap. We do not know that anything he says will actually be true because he does not speak the truth and he does not correct it. No wonder we have a Leader of the Opposition who seeks to protect Hon Shelley Archer and Hon Anthony Fels, because they have been caught out not telling the truth. How can the Leader of the Opposition take them to task when he is caught out time after time saying things that are simply not true?
Mr J.C. KOBELKE : The Leader of the Opposition says that he would like to have this many police and that we are this many short. He makes up the numbers! He does not actually look at the number of police who are out there protecting the citizens of Western Australia, which has seen a drop in the crime rate - as we are seeing in so many areas. We have a Leader of the Opposition who has a major credibility gap. We do not know that anything he says will actually be true because he does not speak the truth and he does not correct it. No wonder we have a Leader of the Opposition who seeks to protect Hon Shelley Archer and Hon Anthony Fels, because they have been caught out not telling the truth. How can the Leader of the Opposition take them to task when he is caught out time after time saying things that are simply not true?
Mr J.C. KOBELKE replied: I thank the member for her question because as we are well aware - Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr J.C. KOBELKE : In the last four years of the Liberal coalition government, it did not seek to employ one single additional police officer. There was no growth in Western Australia Police - Several members interjected. Mr J.H.D. Day : Tell us the whole story! The SPEAKER : I will tell members the story. At the moment in question time, the minister is on his feet answering a question that the opposition did not even ask. Therefore, I call the member for Darling Range and the member for Greenough to order. Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the member for Darling Range to order for the second time. Mr J.C. KOBELKE : The figures I have from the police are that in February 2001 there were 4 727 actual full-time equivalent officers in the WA Police. The figures for last month, October 2007, indicate that there were 5 186 FTEs. That is an increase of 459 FTEs. If we take the headcount - because we provide both figures when they are asked for in questions - in February 2001 there were 4 747 actual police officers. Last month there were 5 288. In terms of the headcount, that is an increase of 541 police. In addition to that, approximately 400 police have been moved onto the front line by employing more public servants and restructuring the work being done by the police. It is actually quite astounding that last night on Channel Seven the Leader of the Opposition said - The truth of the matter is that police numbers are down. Where did the Leader of the Opposition get those figures from? Mr P.D. Omodei : There are fewer police officer training cadets than there were in 2000; there are fewer now than in 2000. Mr J.C. KOBELKE : That is not the issue. The Leader of the Opposition said, “The truth of the matter is that police numbers are down.” They are not; they are up. Mr P.D. Omodei : There are fewer people in training as police officers now. It is down from 110 to 105 over seven years. Mr J.C. KOBELKE : In training? Mr P.D. Omodei : In-training police officers. That is from a question you gave me. Mr J.C. KOBELKE : Yes, but the question was not about training in the academy. The Leader of the Opposition said, “The truth of the matter is that police numbers are down.” I just indicated that official figures show that the extra number of police FTEs is 459 and additional headcount is 541. Mr P.D. Omodei : The minister is misleading the public of Western Australia. Mr J.C. KOBELKE : No; the Leader of the Opposition is misleading it, because he has a credibility gap. No-one believes the Leader of the Opposition because, time after time, he says things that are not true. How can the public believe anything that the Leader of the Opposition says? Time after time he makes a statement that is factually wrong, and he does not correct it. I have given the official figures from the police. The Leader of the Opposition is playing a game. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! I call the Leader of the Opposition to order for the first time. Mr J.C. KOBELKE : The Leader of the Opposition says that he would like to have this many police and that we are this many short. He makes up the numbers! He does not actually look at the number of police who are out there protecting the citizens of Western Australia, which has seen a drop in the crime rate - as we are seeing in so many areas. We have a Leader of the Opposition who has a major credibility gap. We do not know that anything he says will actually be true because he does not speak the truth and he does not correct it. No wonder we have a Leader of the Opposition who seeks to protect Hon Shelley Archer and Hon Anthony Fels, because they have been caught out not telling the truth. How can the Leader of the Opposition take them to task when he is caught out time after time saying things that are simply not true?
I thank the member for her question because as we are well aware - Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr J.C. KOBELKE : In the last four years of the Liberal coalition government, it did not seek to employ one single additional police officer. There was no growth in Western Australia Police - Several members interjected. Mr J.H.D. Day : Tell us the whole story! The SPEAKER : I will tell members the story. At the moment in question time, the minister is on his feet answering a question that the opposition did not even ask. Therefore, I call the member for Darling Range and the member for Greenough to order. Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the member for Darling Range to order for the second time. Mr J.C. KOBELKE : The figures I have from the police are that in February 2001 there were 4 727 actual full-time equivalent officers in the WA Police. The figures for last month, October 2007, indicate that there were 5 186 FTEs. That is an increase of 459 FTEs. If we take the headcount - because we provide both figures when they are asked for in questions - in February 2001 there were 4 747 actual police officers. Last month there were 5 288. In terms of the headcount, that is an increase of 541 police. In addition to that, approximately 400 police have been moved onto the front line by employing more public servants and restructuring the work being done by the police. It is actually quite astounding that last night on Channel Seven the Leader of the Opposition said - The truth of the matter is that police numbers are down. Where did the Leader of the Opposition get those figures from? Mr P.D. Omodei : There are fewer police officer training cadets than there were in 2000; there are fewer now than in 2000. Mr J.C. KOBELKE : That is not the issue. The Leader of the Opposition said, “The truth of the matter is that police numbers are down.” They are not; they are up. Mr P.D. Omodei : There are fewer people in training as police officers now. It is down from 110 to 105 over seven years. Mr J.C. KOBELKE : In training? Mr P.D. Omodei : In-training police officers. That is from a question you gave me. Mr J.C. KOBELKE : Yes, but the question was not about training in the academy. The Leader of the Opposition said, “The truth of the matter is that police numbers are down.” I just indicated that official figures show that the extra number of police FTEs is 459 and additional headcount is 541. Mr P.D. Omodei : The minister is misleading the public of Western Australia. Mr J.C. KOBELKE : No; the Leader of the Opposition is misleading it, because he has a credibility gap. No-one believes the Leader of the Opposition because, time after time, he says things that are not true. How can the public believe anything that the Leader of the Opposition says? Time after time he makes a statement that is factually wrong, and he does not correct it. I have given the official figures from the police. The Leader of the Opposition is playing a game. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! I call the Leader of the Opposition to order for the first time. Mr J.C. KOBELKE : The Leader of the Opposition says that he would like to have this many police and that we are this many short. He makes up the numbers! He does not actually look at the number of police who are out there protecting the citizens of Western Australia, which has seen a drop in the crime rate - as we are seeing in so many areas. We have a Leader of the Opposition who has a major credibility gap. We do not know that anything he says will actually be true because he does not speak the truth and he does not correct it. No wonder we have a Leader of the Opposition who seeks to protect Hon Shelley Archer and Hon Anthony Fels, because they have been caught out not telling the truth. How can the Leader of the Opposition take them to task when he is caught out time after time saying things that are simply not true?
Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr J.C. KOBELKE : In the last four years of the Liberal coalition government, it did not seek to employ one single additional police officer. There was no growth in Western Australia Police - Several members interjected. Mr J.H.D. Day : Tell us the whole story! The SPEAKER : I will tell members the story. At the moment in question time, the minister is on his feet answering a question that the opposition did not even ask. Therefore, I call the member for Darling Range and the member for Greenough to order. Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the member for Darling Range to order for the second time. Mr J.C. KOBELKE : The figures I have from the police are that in February 2001 there were 4 727 actual full-time equivalent officers in the WA Police. The figures for last month, October 2007, indicate that there were 5 186 FTEs. That is an increase of 459 FTEs. If we take the headcount - because we provide both figures when they are asked for in questions - in February 2001 there were 4 747 actual police officers. Last month there were 5 288. In terms of the headcount, that is an increase of 541 police. In addition to that, approximately 400 police have been moved onto the front line by employing more public servants and restructuring the work being done by the police. It is actually quite astounding that last night on Channel Seven the Leader of the Opposition said - The truth of the matter is that police numbers are down. Where did the Leader of the Opposition get those figures from? Mr P.D. Omodei : There are fewer police officer training cadets than there were in 2000; there are fewer now than in 2000. Mr J.C. KOBELKE : That is not the issue. The Leader of the Opposition said, “The truth of the matter is that police numbers are down.” They are not; they are up. Mr P.D. Omodei : There are fewer people in training as police officers now. It is down from 110 to 105 over seven years. Mr J.C. KOBELKE : In training? Mr P.D. Omodei : In-training police officers. That is from a question you gave me. Mr J.C. KOBELKE : Yes, but the question was not about training in the academy. The Leader of the Opposition said, “The truth of the matter is that police numbers are down.” I just indicated that official figures show that the extra number of police FTEs is 459 and additional headcount is 541. Mr P.D. Omodei : The minister is misleading the public of Western Australia. Mr J.C. KOBELKE : No; the Leader of the Opposition is misleading it, because he has a credibility gap. No-one believes the Leader of the Opposition because, time after time, he says things that are not true. How can the public believe anything that the Leader of the Opposition says? Time after time he makes a statement that is factually wrong, and he does not correct it. I have given the official figures from the police. The Leader of the Opposition is playing a game. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! I call the Leader of the Opposition to order for the first time. Mr J.C. KOBELKE : The Leader of the Opposition says that he would like to have this many police and that we are this many short. He makes up the numbers! He does not actually look at the number of police who are out there protecting the citizens of Western Australia, which has seen a drop in the crime rate - as we are seeing in so many areas. We have a Leader of the Opposition who has a major credibility gap. We do not know that anything he says will actually be true because he does not speak the truth and he does not correct it. No wonder we have a Leader of the Opposition who seeks to protect Hon Shelley Archer and Hon Anthony Fels, because they have been caught out not telling the truth. How can the Leader of the Opposition take them to task when he is caught out time after time saying things that are simply not true?
The SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr J.C. KOBELKE : In the last four years of the Liberal coalition government, it did not seek to employ one single additional police officer. There was no growth in Western Australia Police - Several members interjected. Mr J.H.D. Day : Tell us the whole story! The SPEAKER : I will tell members the story. At the moment in question time, the minister is on his feet answering a question that the opposition did not even ask. Therefore, I call the member for Darling Range and the member for Greenough to order. Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the member for Darling Range to order for the second time. Mr J.C. KOBELKE : The figures I have from the police are that in February 2001 there were 4 727 actual full-time equivalent officers in the WA Police. The figures for last month, October 2007, indicate that there were 5 186 FTEs. That is an increase of 459 FTEs. If we take the headcount - because we provide both figures when they are asked for in questions - in February 2001 there were 4 747 actual police officers. Last month there were 5 288. In terms of the headcount, that is an increase of 541 police. In addition to that, approximately 400 police have been moved onto the front line by employing more public servants and restructuring the work being done by the police. It is actually quite astounding that last night on Channel Seven the Leader of the Opposition said - The truth of the matter is that police numbers are down. Where did the Leader of the Opposition get those figures from? Mr P.D. Omodei : There are fewer police officer training cadets than there were in 2000; there are fewer now than in 2000. Mr J.C. KOBELKE : That is not the issue. The Leader of the Opposition said, “The truth of the matter is that police numbers are down.” They are not; they are up. Mr P.D. Omodei : There are fewer people in training as police officers now. It is down from 110 to 105 over seven years. Mr J.C. KOBELKE : In training? Mr P.D. Omodei : In-training police officers. That is from a question you gave me. Mr J.C. KOBELKE : Yes, but the question was not about training in the academy. The Leader of the Opposition said, “The truth of the matter is that police numbers are down.” I just indicated that official figures show that the extra number of police FTEs is 459 and additional headcount is 541. Mr P.D. Omodei : The minister is misleading the public of Western Australia. Mr J.C. KOBELKE : No; the Leader of the Opposition is misleading it, because he has a credibility gap. No-one believes the Leader of the Opposition because, time after time, he says things that are not true. How can the public believe anything that the Leader of the Opposition says? Time after time he makes a statement that is factually wrong, and he does not correct it. I have given the official figures from the police. The Leader of the Opposition is playing a game. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! I call the Leader of the Opposition to order for the first time. Mr J.C. KOBELKE : The Leader of the Opposition says that he would like to have this many police and that we are this many short. He makes up the numbers! He does not actually look at the number of police who are out there protecting the citizens of Western Australia, which has seen a drop in the crime rate - as we are seeing in so many areas. We have a Leader of the Opposition who has a major credibility gap. We do not know that anything he says will actually be true because he does not speak the truth and he does not correct it. No wonder we have a Leader of the Opposition who seeks to protect Hon Shelley Archer and Hon Anthony Fels, because they have been caught out not telling the truth. How can the Leader of the Opposition take them to task when he is caught out time after time saying things that are simply not true?
Mr J.C. KOBELKE : In the last four years of the Liberal coalition government, it did not seek to employ one single additional police officer. There was no growth in Western Australia Police - Several members interjected. Mr J.H.D. Day : Tell us the whole story! The SPEAKER : I will tell members the story. At the moment in question time, the minister is on his feet answering a question that the opposition did not even ask. Therefore, I call the member for Darling Range and the member for Greenough to order. Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the member for Darling Range to order for the second time. Mr J.C. KOBELKE : The figures I have from the police are that in February 2001 there were 4 727 actual full-time equivalent officers in the WA Police. The figures for last month, October 2007, indicate that there were 5 186 FTEs. That is an increase of 459 FTEs. If we take the headcount - because we provide both figures when they are asked for in questions - in February 2001 there were 4 747 actual police officers. Last month there were 5 288. In terms of the headcount, that is an increase of 541 police. In addition to that, approximately 400 police have been moved onto the front line by employing more public servants and restructuring the work being done by the police. It is actually quite astounding that last night on Channel Seven the Leader of the Opposition said - The truth of the matter is that police numbers are down. Where did the Leader of the Opposition get those figures from? Mr P.D. Omodei : There are fewer police officer training cadets than there were in 2000; there are fewer now than in 2000. Mr J.C. KOBELKE : That is not the issue. The Leader of the Opposition said, “The truth of the matter is that police numbers are down.” They are not; they are up. Mr P.D. Omodei : There are fewer people in training as police officers now. It is down from 110 to 105 over seven years. Mr J.C. KOBELKE : In training? Mr P.D. Omodei : In-training police officers. That is from a question you gave me. Mr J.C. KOBELKE : Yes, but the question was not about training in the academy. The Leader of the Opposition said, “The truth of the matter is that police numbers are down.” I just indicated that official figures show that the extra number of police FTEs is 459 and additional headcount is 541. Mr P.D. Omodei : The minister is misleading the public of Western Australia. Mr J.C. KOBELKE : No; the Leader of the Opposition is misleading it, because he has a credibility gap. No-one believes the Leader of the Opposition because, time after time, he says things that are not true. How can the public believe anything that the Leader of the Opposition says? Time after time he makes a statement that is factually wrong, and he does not correct it. I have given the official figures from the police. The Leader of the Opposition is playing a game. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! I call the Leader of the Opposition to order for the first time. Mr J.C. KOBELKE : The Leader of the Opposition says that he would like to have this many police and that we are this many short. He makes up the numbers! He does not actually look at the number of police who are out there protecting the citizens of Western Australia, which has seen a drop in the crime rate - as we are seeing in so many areas. We have a Leader of the Opposition who has a major credibility gap. We do not know that anything he says will actually be true because he does not speak the truth and he does not correct it. No wonder we have a Leader of the Opposition who seeks to protect Hon Shelley Archer and Hon Anthony Fels, because they have been caught out not telling the truth. How can the Leader of the Opposition take them to task when he is caught out time after time saying things that are simply not true?
Several members interjected. Mr J.H.D. Day : Tell us the whole story! The SPEAKER : I will tell members the story. At the moment in question time, the minister is on his feet answering a question that the opposition did not even ask. Therefore, I call the member for Darling Range and the member for Greenough to order. Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the member for Darling Range to order for the second time. Mr J.C. KOBELKE : The figures I have from the police are that in February 2001 there were 4 727 actual full-time equivalent officers in the WA Police. The figures for last month, October 2007, indicate that there were 5 186 FTEs. That is an increase of 459 FTEs. If we take the headcount - because we provide both figures when they are asked for in questions - in February 2001 there were 4 747 actual police officers. Last month there were 5 288. In terms of the headcount, that is an increase of 541 police. In addition to that, approximately 400 police have been moved onto the front line by employing more public servants and restructuring the work being done by the police. It is actually quite astounding that last night on Channel Seven the Leader of the Opposition said - The truth of the matter is that police numbers are down. Where did the Leader of the Opposition get those figures from? Mr P.D. Omodei : There are fewer police officer training cadets than there were in 2000; there are fewer now than in 2000. Mr J.C. KOBELKE : That is not the issue. The Leader of the Opposition said, “The truth of the matter is that police numbers are down.” They are not; they are up. Mr P.D. Omodei : There are fewer people in training as police officers now. It is down from 110 to 105 over seven years. Mr J.C. KOBELKE : In training? Mr P.D. Omodei : In-training police officers. That is from a question you gave me. Mr J.C. KOBELKE : Yes, but the question was not about training in the academy. The Leader of the Opposition said, “The truth of the matter is that police numbers are down.” I just indicated that official figures show that the extra number of police FTEs is 459 and additional headcount is 541. Mr P.D. Omodei : The minister is misleading the public of Western Australia. Mr J.C. KOBELKE : No; the Leader of the Opposition is misleading it, because he has a credibility gap. No-one believes the Leader of the Opposition because, time after time, he says things that are not true. How can the public believe anything that the Leader of the Opposition says? Time after time he makes a statement that is factually wrong, and he does not correct it. I have given the official figures from the police. The Leader of the Opposition is playing a game. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! I call the Leader of the Opposition to order for the first time. Mr J.C. KOBELKE : The Leader of the Opposition says that he would like to have this many police and that we are this many short. He makes up the numbers! He does not actually look at the number of police who are out there protecting the citizens of Western Australia, which has seen a drop in the crime rate - as we are seeing in so many areas. We have a Leader of the Opposition who has a major credibility gap. We do not know that anything he says will actually be true because he does not speak the truth and he does not correct it. No wonder we have a Leader of the Opposition who seeks to protect Hon Shelley Archer and Hon Anthony Fels, because they have been caught out not telling the truth. How can the Leader of the Opposition take them to task when he is caught out time after time saying things that are simply not true?
Mr J.H.D. Day : Tell us the whole story! The SPEAKER : I will tell members the story. At the moment in question time, the minister is on his feet answering a question that the opposition did not even ask. Therefore, I call the member for Darling Range and the member for Greenough to order. Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the member for Darling Range to order for the second time. Mr J.C. KOBELKE : The figures I have from the police are that in February 2001 there were 4 727 actual full-time equivalent officers in the WA Police. The figures for last month, October 2007, indicate that there were 5 186 FTEs. That is an increase of 459 FTEs. If we take the headcount - because we provide both figures when they are asked for in questions - in February 2001 there were 4 747 actual police officers. Last month there were 5 288. In terms of the headcount, that is an increase of 541 police. In addition to that, approximately 400 police have been moved onto the front line by employing more public servants and restructuring the work being done by the police. It is actually quite astounding that last night on Channel Seven the Leader of the Opposition said - The truth of the matter is that police numbers are down. Where did the Leader of the Opposition get those figures from? Mr P.D. Omodei : There are fewer police officer training cadets than there were in 2000; there are fewer now than in 2000. Mr J.C. KOBELKE : That is not the issue. The Leader of the Opposition said, “The truth of the matter is that police numbers are down.” They are not; they are up. Mr P.D. Omodei : There are fewer people in training as police officers now. It is down from 110 to 105 over seven years. Mr J.C. KOBELKE : In training? Mr P.D. Omodei : In-training police officers. That is from a question you gave me. Mr J.C. KOBELKE : Yes, but the question was not about training in the academy. The Leader of the Opposition said, “The truth of the matter is that police numbers are down.” I just indicated that official figures show that the extra number of police FTEs is 459 and additional headcount is 541. Mr P.D. Omodei : The minister is misleading the public of Western Australia. Mr J.C. KOBELKE : No; the Leader of the Opposition is misleading it, because he has a credibility gap. No-one believes the Leader of the Opposition because, time after time, he says things that are not true. How can the public believe anything that the Leader of the Opposition says? Time after time he makes a statement that is factually wrong, and he does not correct it. I have given the official figures from the police. The Leader of the Opposition is playing a game. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! I call the Leader of the Opposition to order for the first time. Mr J.C. KOBELKE : The Leader of the Opposition says that he would like to have this many police and that we are this many short. He makes up the numbers! He does not actually look at the number of police who are out there protecting the citizens of Western Australia, which has seen a drop in the crime rate - as we are seeing in so many areas. We have a Leader of the Opposition who has a major credibility gap. We do not know that anything he says will actually be true because he does not speak the truth and he does not correct it. No wonder we have a Leader of the Opposition who seeks to protect Hon Shelley Archer and Hon Anthony Fels, because they have been caught out not telling the truth. How can the Leader of the Opposition take them to task when he is caught out time after time saying things that are simply not true?
The SPEAKER : I will tell members the story. At the moment in question time, the minister is on his feet answering a question that the opposition did not even ask. Therefore, I call the member for Darling Range and the member for Greenough to order. Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the member for Darling Range to order for the second time. Mr J.C. KOBELKE : The figures I have from the police are that in February 2001 there were 4 727 actual full-time equivalent officers in the WA Police. The figures for last month, October 2007, indicate that there were 5 186 FTEs. That is an increase of 459 FTEs. If we take the headcount - because we provide both figures when they are asked for in questions - in February 2001 there were 4 747 actual police officers. Last month there were 5 288. In terms of the headcount, that is an increase of 541 police. In addition to that, approximately 400 police have been moved onto the front line by employing more public servants and restructuring the work being done by the police. It is actually quite astounding that last night on Channel Seven the Leader of the Opposition said - The truth of the matter is that police numbers are down. Where did the Leader of the Opposition get those figures from? Mr P.D. Omodei : There are fewer police officer training cadets than there were in 2000; there are fewer now than in 2000. Mr J.C. KOBELKE : That is not the issue. The Leader of the Opposition said, “The truth of the matter is that police numbers are down.” They are not; they are up. Mr P.D. Omodei : There are fewer people in training as police officers now. It is down from 110 to 105 over seven years. Mr J.C. KOBELKE : In training? Mr P.D. Omodei : In-training police officers. That is from a question you gave me. Mr J.C. KOBELKE : Yes, but the question was not about training in the academy. The Leader of the Opposition said, “The truth of the matter is that police numbers are down.” I just indicated that official figures show that the extra number of police FTEs is 459 and additional headcount is 541. Mr P.D. Omodei : The minister is misleading the public of Western Australia. Mr J.C. KOBELKE : No; the Leader of the Opposition is misleading it, because he has a credibility gap. No-one believes the Leader of the Opposition because, time after time, he says things that are not true. How can the public believe anything that the Leader of the Opposition says? Time after time he makes a statement that is factually wrong, and he does not correct it. I have given the official figures from the police. The Leader of the Opposition is playing a game. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! I call the Leader of the Opposition to order for the first time. Mr J.C. KOBELKE : The Leader of the Opposition says that he would like to have this many police and that we are this many short. He makes up the numbers! He does not actually look at the number of police who are out there protecting the citizens of Western Australia, which has seen a drop in the crime rate - as we are seeing in so many areas. We have a Leader of the Opposition who has a major credibility gap. We do not know that anything he says will actually be true because he does not speak the truth and he does not correct it. No wonder we have a Leader of the Opposition who seeks to protect Hon Shelley Archer and Hon Anthony Fels, because they have been caught out not telling the truth. How can the Leader of the Opposition take them to task when he is caught out time after time saying things that are simply not true?
Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the member for Darling Range to order for the second time. Mr J.C. KOBELKE : The figures I have from the police are that in February 2001 there were 4 727 actual full-time equivalent officers in the WA Police. The figures for last month, October 2007, indicate that there were 5 186 FTEs. That is an increase of 459 FTEs. If we take the headcount - because we provide both figures when they are asked for in questions - in February 2001 there were 4 747 actual police officers. Last month there were 5 288. In terms of the headcount, that is an increase of 541 police. In addition to that, approximately 400 police have been moved onto the front line by employing more public servants and restructuring the work being done by the police. It is actually quite astounding that last night on Channel Seven the Leader of the Opposition said - The truth of the matter is that police numbers are down. Where did the Leader of the Opposition get those figures from? Mr P.D. Omodei : There are fewer police officer training cadets than there were in 2000; there are fewer now than in 2000. Mr J.C. KOBELKE : That is not the issue. The Leader of the Opposition said, “The truth of the matter is that police numbers are down.” They are not; they are up. Mr P.D. Omodei : There are fewer people in training as police officers now. It is down from 110 to 105 over seven years. Mr J.C. KOBELKE : In training? Mr P.D. Omodei : In-training police officers. That is from a question you gave me. Mr J.C. KOBELKE : Yes, but the question was not about training in the academy. The Leader of the Opposition said, “The truth of the matter is that police numbers are down.” I just indicated that official figures show that the extra number of police FTEs is 459 and additional headcount is 541. Mr P.D. Omodei : The minister is misleading the public of Western Australia. Mr J.C. KOBELKE : No; the Leader of the Opposition is misleading it, because he has a credibility gap. No-one believes the Leader of the Opposition because, time after time, he says things that are not true. How can the public believe anything that the Leader of the Opposition says? Time after time he makes a statement that is factually wrong, and he does not correct it. I have given the official figures from the police. The Leader of the Opposition is playing a game. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! I call the Leader of the Opposition to order for the first time. Mr J.C. KOBELKE : The Leader of the Opposition says that he would like to have this many police and that we are this many short. He makes up the numbers! He does not actually look at the number of police who are out there protecting the citizens of Western Australia, which has seen a drop in the crime rate - as we are seeing in so many areas. We have a Leader of the Opposition who has a major credibility gap. We do not know that anything he says will actually be true because he does not speak the truth and he does not correct it. No wonder we have a Leader of the Opposition who seeks to protect Hon Shelley Archer and Hon Anthony Fels, because they have been caught out not telling the truth. How can the Leader of the Opposition take them to task when he is caught out time after time saying things that are simply not true?
The SPEAKER : I call the member for Darling Range to order for the second time. Mr J.C. KOBELKE : The figures I have from the police are that in February 2001 there were 4 727 actual full-time equivalent officers in the WA Police. The figures for last month, October 2007, indicate that there were 5 186 FTEs. That is an increase of 459 FTEs. If we take the headcount - because we provide both figures when they are asked for in questions - in February 2001 there were 4 747 actual police officers. Last month there were 5 288. In terms of the headcount, that is an increase of 541 police. In addition to that, approximately 400 police have been moved onto the front line by employing more public servants and restructuring the work being done by the police. It is actually quite astounding that last night on Channel Seven the Leader of the Opposition said - The truth of the matter is that police numbers are down. Where did the Leader of the Opposition get those figures from? Mr P.D. Omodei : There are fewer police officer training cadets than there were in 2000; there are fewer now than in 2000. Mr J.C. KOBELKE : That is not the issue. The Leader of the Opposition said, “The truth of the matter is that police numbers are down.” They are not; they are up. Mr P.D. Omodei : There are fewer people in training as police officers now. It is down from 110 to 105 over seven years. Mr J.C. KOBELKE : In training? Mr P.D. Omodei : In-training police officers. That is from a question you gave me. Mr J.C. KOBELKE : Yes, but the question was not about training in the academy. The Leader of the Opposition said, “The truth of the matter is that police numbers are down.” I just indicated that official figures show that the extra number of police FTEs is 459 and additional headcount is 541. Mr P.D. Omodei : The minister is misleading the public of Western Australia. Mr J.C. KOBELKE : No; the Leader of the Opposition is misleading it, because he has a credibility gap. No-one believes the Leader of the Opposition because, time after time, he says things that are not true. How can the public believe anything that the Leader of the Opposition says? Time after time he makes a statement that is factually wrong, and he does not correct it. I have given the official figures from the police. The Leader of the Opposition is playing a game. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! I call the Leader of the Opposition to order for the first time. Mr J.C. KOBELKE : The Leader of the Opposition says that he would like to have this many police and that we are this many short. He makes up the numbers! He does not actually look at the number of police who are out there protecting the citizens of Western Australia, which has seen a drop in the crime rate - as we are seeing in so many areas. We have a Leader of the Opposition who has a major credibility gap. We do not know that anything he says will actually be true because he does not speak the truth and he does not correct it. No wonder we have a Leader of the Opposition who seeks to protect Hon Shelley Archer and Hon Anthony Fels, because they have been caught out not telling the truth. How can the Leader of the Opposition take them to task when he is caught out time after time saying things that are simply not true?
Mr J.C. KOBELKE : The figures I have from the police are that in February 2001 there were 4 727 actual full-time equivalent officers in the WA Police. The figures for last month, October 2007, indicate that there were 5 186 FTEs. That is an increase of 459 FTEs. If we take the headcount - because we provide both figures when they are asked for in questions - in February 2001 there were 4 747 actual police officers. Last month there were 5 288. In terms of the headcount, that is an increase of 541 police. In addition to that, approximately 400 police have been moved onto the front line by employing more public servants and restructuring the work being done by the police. It is actually quite astounding that last night on Channel Seven the Leader of the Opposition said - The truth of the matter is that police numbers are down. Where did the Leader of the Opposition get those figures from? Mr P.D. Omodei : There are fewer police officer training cadets than there were in 2000; there are fewer now than in 2000. Mr J.C. KOBELKE : That is not the issue. The Leader of the Opposition said, “The truth of the matter is that police numbers are down.” They are not; they are up. Mr P.D. Omodei : There are fewer people in training as police officers now. It is down from 110 to 105 over seven years. Mr J.C. KOBELKE : In training? Mr P.D. Omodei : In-training police officers. That is from a question you gave me. Mr J.C. KOBELKE : Yes, but the question was not about training in the academy. The Leader of the Opposition said, “The truth of the matter is that police numbers are down.” I just indicated that official figures show that the extra number of police FTEs is 459 and additional headcount is 541. Mr P.D. Omodei : The minister is misleading the public of Western Australia. Mr J.C. KOBELKE : No; the Leader of the Opposition is misleading it, because he has a credibility gap. No-one believes the Leader of the Opposition because, time after time, he says things that are not true. How can the public believe anything that the Leader of the Opposition says? Time after time he makes a statement that is factually wrong, and he does not correct it. I have given the official figures from the police. The Leader of the Opposition is playing a game. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! I call the Leader of the Opposition to order for the first time. Mr J.C. KOBELKE : The Leader of the Opposition says that he would like to have this many police and that we are this many short. He makes up the numbers! He does not actually look at the number of police who are out there protecting the citizens of Western Australia, which has seen a drop in the crime rate - as we are seeing in so many areas. We have a Leader of the Opposition who has a major credibility gap. We do not know that anything he says will actually be true because he does not speak the truth and he does not correct it. No wonder we have a Leader of the Opposition who seeks to protect Hon Shelley Archer and Hon Anthony Fels, because they have been caught out not telling the truth. How can the Leader of the Opposition take them to task when he is caught out time after time saying things that are simply not true?
Mr P.D. Omodei : There are fewer police officer training cadets than there were in 2000; there are fewer now than in 2000. Mr J.C. KOBELKE : That is not the issue. The Leader of the Opposition said, “The truth of the matter is that police numbers are down.” They are not; they are up. Mr P.D. Omodei : There are fewer people in training as police officers now. It is down from 110 to 105 over seven years. Mr J.C. KOBELKE : In training? Mr P.D. Omodei : In-training police officers. That is from a question you gave me. Mr J.C. KOBELKE : Yes, but the question was not about training in the academy. The Leader of the Opposition said, “The truth of the matter is that police numbers are down.” I just indicated that official figures show that the extra number of police FTEs is 459 and additional headcount is 541. Mr P.D. Omodei : The minister is misleading the public of Western Australia. Mr J.C. KOBELKE : No; the Leader of the Opposition is misleading it, because he has a credibility gap. No-one believes the Leader of the Opposition because, time after time, he says things that are not true. How can the public believe anything that the Leader of the Opposition says? Time after time he makes a statement that is factually wrong, and he does not correct it. I have given the official figures from the police. The Leader of the Opposition is playing a game. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! I call the Leader of the Opposition to order for the first time. Mr J.C. KOBELKE : The Leader of the Opposition says that he would like to have this many police and that we are this many short. He makes up the numbers! He does not actually look at the number of police who are out there protecting the citizens of Western Australia, which has seen a drop in the crime rate - as we are seeing in so many areas. We have a Leader of the Opposition who has a major credibility gap. We do not know that anything he says will actually be true because he does not speak the truth and he does not correct it. No wonder we have a Leader of the Opposition who seeks to protect Hon Shelley Archer and Hon Anthony Fels, because they have been caught out not telling the truth. How can the Leader of the Opposition take them to task when he is caught out time after time saying things that are simply not true?
Mr J.C. KOBELKE : That is not the issue. The Leader of the Opposition said, “The truth of the matter is that police numbers are down.” They are not; they are up. Mr P.D. Omodei : There are fewer people in training as police officers now. It is down from 110 to 105 over seven years. Mr J.C. KOBELKE : In training? Mr P.D. Omodei : In-training police officers. That is from a question you gave me. Mr J.C. KOBELKE : Yes, but the question was not about training in the academy. The Leader of the Opposition said, “The truth of the matter is that police numbers are down.” I just indicated that official figures show that the extra number of police FTEs is 459 and additional headcount is 541. Mr P.D. Omodei : The minister is misleading the public of Western Australia. Mr J.C. KOBELKE : No; the Leader of the Opposition is misleading it, because he has a credibility gap. No-one believes the Leader of the Opposition because, time after time, he says things that are not true. How can the public believe anything that the Leader of the Opposition says? Time after time he makes a statement that is factually wrong, and he does not correct it. I have given the official figures from the police. The Leader of the Opposition is playing a game. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! I call the Leader of the Opposition to order for the first time. Mr J.C. KOBELKE : The Leader of the Opposition says that he would like to have this many police and that we are this many short. He makes up the numbers! He does not actually look at the number of police who are out there protecting the citizens of Western Australia, which has seen a drop in the crime rate - as we are seeing in so many areas. We have a Leader of the Opposition who has a major credibility gap. We do not know that anything he says will actually be true because he does not speak the truth and he does not correct it. No wonder we have a Leader of the Opposition who seeks to protect Hon Shelley Archer and Hon Anthony Fels, because they have been caught out not telling the truth. How can the Leader of the Opposition take them to task when he is caught out time after time saying things that are simply not true?
Mr P.D. Omodei : There are fewer people in training as police officers now. It is down from 110 to 105 over seven years. Mr J.C. KOBELKE : In training? Mr P.D. Omodei : In-training police officers. That is from a question you gave me. Mr J.C. KOBELKE : Yes, but the question was not about training in the academy. The Leader of the Opposition said, “The truth of the matter is that police numbers are down.” I just indicated that official figures show that the extra number of police FTEs is 459 and additional headcount is 541. Mr P.D. Omodei : The minister is misleading the public of Western Australia. Mr J.C. KOBELKE : No; the Leader of the Opposition is misleading it, because he has a credibility gap. No-one believes the Leader of the Opposition because, time after time, he says things that are not true. How can the public believe anything that the Leader of the Opposition says? Time after time he makes a statement that is factually wrong, and he does not correct it. I have given the official figures from the police. The Leader of the Opposition is playing a game. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! I call the Leader of the Opposition to order for the first time. Mr J.C. KOBELKE : The Leader of the Opposition says that he would like to have this many police and that we are this many short. He makes up the numbers! He does not actually look at the number of police who are out there protecting the citizens of Western Australia, which has seen a drop in the crime rate - as we are seeing in so many areas. We have a Leader of the Opposition who has a major credibility gap. We do not know that anything he says will actually be true because he does not speak the truth and he does not correct it. No wonder we have a Leader of the Opposition who seeks to protect Hon Shelley Archer and Hon Anthony Fels, because they have been caught out not telling the truth. How can the Leader of the Opposition take them to task when he is caught out time after time saying things that are simply not true?
Mr J.C. KOBELKE : In training? Mr P.D. Omodei : In-training police officers. That is from a question you gave me. Mr J.C. KOBELKE : Yes, but the question was not about training in the academy. The Leader of the Opposition said, “The truth of the matter is that police numbers are down.” I just indicated that official figures show that the extra number of police FTEs is 459 and additional headcount is 541. Mr P.D. Omodei : The minister is misleading the public of Western Australia. Mr J.C. KOBELKE : No; the Leader of the Opposition is misleading it, because he has a credibility gap. No-one believes the Leader of the Opposition because, time after time, he says things that are not true. How can the public believe anything that the Leader of the Opposition says? Time after time he makes a statement that is factually wrong, and he does not correct it. I have given the official figures from the police. The Leader of the Opposition is playing a game. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! I call the Leader of the Opposition to order for the first time. Mr J.C. KOBELKE : The Leader of the Opposition says that he would like to have this many police and that we are this many short. He makes up the numbers! He does not actually look at the number of police who are out there protecting the citizens of Western Australia, which has seen a drop in the crime rate - as we are seeing in so many areas. We have a Leader of the Opposition who has a major credibility gap. We do not know that anything he says will actually be true because he does not speak the truth and he does not correct it. No wonder we have a Leader of the Opposition who seeks to protect Hon Shelley Archer and Hon Anthony Fels, because they have been caught out not telling the truth. How can the Leader of the Opposition take them to task when he is caught out time after time saying things that are simply not true?
Mr P.D. Omodei : In-training police officers. That is from a question you gave me. Mr J.C. KOBELKE : Yes, but the question was not about training in the academy. The Leader of the Opposition said, “The truth of the matter is that police numbers are down.” I just indicated that official figures show that the extra number of police FTEs is 459 and additional headcount is 541. Mr P.D. Omodei : The minister is misleading the public of Western Australia. Mr J.C. KOBELKE : No; the Leader of the Opposition is misleading it, because he has a credibility gap. No-one believes the Leader of the Opposition because, time after time, he says things that are not true. How can the public believe anything that the Leader of the Opposition says? Time after time he makes a statement that is factually wrong, and he does not correct it. I have given the official figures from the police. The Leader of the Opposition is playing a game. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! I call the Leader of the Opposition to order for the first time. Mr J.C. KOBELKE : The Leader of the Opposition says that he would like to have this many police and that we are this many short. He makes up the numbers! He does not actually look at the number of police who are out there protecting the citizens of Western Australia, which has seen a drop in the crime rate - as we are seeing in so many areas. We have a Leader of the Opposition who has a major credibility gap. We do not know that anything he says will actually be true because he does not speak the truth and he does not correct it. No wonder we have a Leader of the Opposition who seeks to protect Hon Shelley Archer and Hon Anthony Fels, because they have been caught out not telling the truth. How can the Leader of the Opposition take them to task when he is caught out time after time saying things that are simply not true?
Mr J.C. KOBELKE : Yes, but the question was not about training in the academy. The Leader of the Opposition said, “The truth of the matter is that police numbers are down.” I just indicated that official figures show that the extra number of police FTEs is 459 and additional headcount is 541. Mr P.D. Omodei : The minister is misleading the public of Western Australia. Mr J.C. KOBELKE : No; the Leader of the Opposition is misleading it, because he has a credibility gap. No-one believes the Leader of the Opposition because, time after time, he says things that are not true. How can the public believe anything that the Leader of the Opposition says? Time after time he makes a statement that is factually wrong, and he does not correct it. I have given the official figures from the police. The Leader of the Opposition is playing a game. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! I call the Leader of the Opposition to order for the first time. Mr J.C. KOBELKE : The Leader of the Opposition says that he would like to have this many police and that we are this many short. He makes up the numbers! He does not actually look at the number of police who are out there protecting the citizens of Western Australia, which has seen a drop in the crime rate - as we are seeing in so many areas. We have a Leader of the Opposition who has a major credibility gap. We do not know that anything he says will actually be true because he does not speak the truth and he does not correct it. No wonder we have a Leader of the Opposition who seeks to protect Hon Shelley Archer and Hon Anthony Fels, because they have been caught out not telling the truth. How can the Leader of the Opposition take them to task when he is caught out time after time saying things that are simply not true?
Mr P.D. Omodei : The minister is misleading the public of Western Australia. Mr J.C. KOBELKE : No; the Leader of the Opposition is misleading it, because he has a credibility gap. No-one believes the Leader of the Opposition because, time after time, he says things that are not true. How can the public believe anything that the Leader of the Opposition says? Time after time he makes a statement that is factually wrong, and he does not correct it. I have given the official figures from the police. The Leader of the Opposition is playing a game. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! I call the Leader of the Opposition to order for the first time. Mr J.C. KOBELKE : The Leader of the Opposition says that he would like to have this many police and that we are this many short. He makes up the numbers! He does not actually look at the number of police who are out there protecting the citizens of Western Australia, which has seen a drop in the crime rate - as we are seeing in so many areas. We have a Leader of the Opposition who has a major credibility gap. We do not know that anything he says will actually be true because he does not speak the truth and he does not correct it. No wonder we have a Leader of the Opposition who seeks to protect Hon Shelley Archer and Hon Anthony Fels, because they have been caught out not telling the truth. How can the Leader of the Opposition take them to task when he is caught out time after time saying things that are simply not true?
Mr J.C. KOBELKE : No; the Leader of the Opposition is misleading it, because he has a credibility gap. No-one believes the Leader of the Opposition because, time after time, he says things that are not true. How can the public believe anything that the Leader of the Opposition says? Time after time he makes a statement that is factually wrong, and he does not correct it. I have given the official figures from the police. The Leader of the Opposition is playing a game. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! I call the Leader of the Opposition to order for the first time. Mr J.C. KOBELKE : The Leader of the Opposition says that he would like to have this many police and that we are this many short. He makes up the numbers! He does not actually look at the number of police who are out there protecting the citizens of Western Australia, which has seen a drop in the crime rate - as we are seeing in so many areas. We have a Leader of the Opposition who has a major credibility gap. We do not know that anything he says will actually be true because he does not speak the truth and he does not correct it. No wonder we have a Leader of the Opposition who seeks to protect Hon Shelley Archer and Hon Anthony Fels, because they have been caught out not telling the truth. How can the Leader of the Opposition take them to task when he is caught out time after time saying things that are simply not true?
Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! I call the Leader of the Opposition to order for the first time. Mr J.C. KOBELKE : The Leader of the Opposition says that he would like to have this many police and that we are this many short. He makes up the numbers! He does not actually look at the number of police who are out there protecting the citizens of Western Australia, which has seen a drop in the crime rate - as we are seeing in so many areas. We have a Leader of the Opposition who has a major credibility gap. We do not know that anything he says will actually be true because he does not speak the truth and he does not correct it. No wonder we have a Leader of the Opposition who seeks to protect Hon Shelley Archer and Hon Anthony Fels, because they have been caught out not telling the truth. How can the Leader of the Opposition take them to task when he is caught out time after time saying things that are simply not true?
The SPEAKER : Order! I call the Leader of the Opposition to order for the first time. Mr J.C. KOBELKE : The Leader of the Opposition says that he would like to have this many police and that we are this many short. He makes up the numbers! He does not actually look at the number of police who are out there protecting the citizens of Western Australia, which has seen a drop in the crime rate - as we are seeing in so many areas. We have a Leader of the Opposition who has a major credibility gap. We do not know that anything he says will actually be true because he does not speak the truth and he does not correct it. No wonder we have a Leader of the Opposition who seeks to protect Hon Shelley Archer and Hon Anthony Fels, because they have been caught out not telling the truth. How can the Leader of the Opposition take them to task when he is caught out time after time saying things that are simply not true?
Mr J.C. KOBELKE : The Leader of the Opposition says that he would like to have this many police and that we are this many short. He makes up the numbers! He does not actually look at the number of police who are out there protecting the citizens of Western Australia, which has seen a drop in the crime rate - as we are seeing in so many areas. We have a Leader of the Opposition who has a major credibility gap. We do not know that anything he says will actually be true because he does not speak the truth and he does not correct it. No wonder we have a Leader of the Opposition who seeks to protect Hon Shelley Archer and Hon Anthony Fels, because they have been caught out not telling the truth. How can the Leader of the Opposition take them to task when he is caught out time after time saying things that are simply not true?
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