❓ A WA parliamentary question addresses concerns about the government and Police Commissioner's commitment to Police and Community Youth Centres (PCYCs). The Minister clarifies there's no change in commitment, highlighting increased police officer allocation and funding for non-police administrative roles, while acknowledging communication issues between WA Police and PCYCs regarding officer assignments.
AnsweredQoN 520Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
POLICE AND COMMUNITY YOUTH CENTRES —
government AND POLICE COMMITMENT
520. Mr P. ABETZ to the Minister for Police:
Before I ask the question, on behalf of the member for
Wanneroo, I acknowledge the presence in the public gallery of the year 9
students from Ashdale Secondary College; and on behalf of the member for
Morley, I acknowledge the presence in the gallery of the Morley Senior High
School students. I was going to get to the member for Morley.
I refer to recent media reports
about the WA Police commitment to supporting police and community youth
centres. Can the minister please advise whether there has been a change to the
government's or the Commissioner of Police's position, as
alleged by the member for Midland?
government AND POLICE COMMITMENT
520. Mr P. ABETZ to the Minister for Police:
Before I ask the question, on behalf of the member for
Wanneroo, I acknowledge the presence in the public gallery of the year 9
students from Ashdale Secondary College; and on behalf of the member for
Morley, I acknowledge the presence in the gallery of the Morley Senior High
School students. I was going to get to the member for Morley.
I refer to recent media reports
about the WA Police commitment to supporting police and community youth
centres. Can the minister please advise whether there has been a change to the
government's or the Commissioner of Police's position, as
alleged by the member for Midland?
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member for Southern River for this question. I
want to make it very, very clear to all members that there has been no change
in the government's position with respect to police officers being
associated with PCYCs, and there has been no change either to the position of
the Commissioner of Police with respect to police officers being assigned to
PCYCs. In fact, in May this year, the Commissioner of Police announced that he
would increase the number of police officers who would be made available to
police and community youth centres from 16 to 20. In addition, the police
commissioner, the PCYC and I have come to an agreement that we think it is
inappropriate for police officers to be involved in administrative duties at
PCYCs. As a result of the shift from police officers being engaged in admin
duties to being involved in youth-at-risk programs, WA Police has resourced
PCYCs with $3 million over three years so that they can have non-police staff
stacking vending machines and processing the application forms for PCYC
membership and all those sorts of things. So, the police officers will be
engaged in youth liaison and they will be engaged in delivering the priority
offender programs through the PCYCs.
Earlier this week, on 17 September,
the youth policing division assigned some officers to assist with Operation
Redirect and Operation Safe Place to run over a four-week period. Those
programs, Operation Redirect and Operation Safe Place, are also youth diversion
programs similar to the programs that the PCYCs offer. Members might be
interested to know that over a two-day period, Operation Redirect collected 33 kids
who were identified as being absent from school without authority and returned
them to school. The communication between PCYC and WA Police around the
assignment of those officers could have been better, and I have portrayed to WA
Police that the communication between PCYC and WA Police around the assignment
of those officers needs to be improved. As a result, some of the youth offender
programs at Rockingham PCYC—the Weld to Life program and the Right to
Write program—were jeopardised. The Right to Write program was
cancelled this morning because the police officer assigned to it was assigned
dual roles; he was assigned to one of the other programs run by WA Police and
PCYCs. I have been assured by WA Police that police officers will be available
for the Right to Write and Weld for Life programs over the next four weeks
while police officers are also engaged in Operation Redirect and Operation Safe
Place during the school holidays.
I wanted to put on the record the
fact that our position has not changed. The position of the commissioner has
not changed. The police officers involved in youth liaison will still be
engaged in youth liaison with PCYCs in addition to Operation Redirect and
Operation Safe Place. I have put to WA Police and the PCYCs that it is probably
in the best interests of those offender programs and in the interests of those
young offenders that they come to some sort of memorandum of understanding or
agreement so that everybody is clear about where the officers will be, which
programs they will be available to assist with and, in addition, have a
detailed communication agreement so it is very, very clear when officers are
shifted from program to program. This will ensure that PCYCs know where the
officers will be, the officers know where they will be and, most importantly,
the children involved in the youth-at-risk programs are able to attend those
programs and liaise with WA Police, which is the entire purpose of PCYCs.
want to make it very, very clear to all members that there has been no change
in the government's position with respect to police officers being
associated with PCYCs, and there has been no change either to the position of
the Commissioner of Police with respect to police officers being assigned to
PCYCs. In fact, in May this year, the Commissioner of Police announced that he
would increase the number of police officers who would be made available to
police and community youth centres from 16 to 20. In addition, the police
commissioner, the PCYC and I have come to an agreement that we think it is
inappropriate for police officers to be involved in administrative duties at
PCYCs. As a result of the shift from police officers being engaged in admin
duties to being involved in youth-at-risk programs, WA Police has resourced
PCYCs with $3 million over three years so that they can have non-police staff
stacking vending machines and processing the application forms for PCYC
membership and all those sorts of things. So, the police officers will be
engaged in youth liaison and they will be engaged in delivering the priority
offender programs through the PCYCs.
Earlier this week, on 17 September,
the youth policing division assigned some officers to assist with Operation
Redirect and Operation Safe Place to run over a four-week period. Those
programs, Operation Redirect and Operation Safe Place, are also youth diversion
programs similar to the programs that the PCYCs offer. Members might be
interested to know that over a two-day period, Operation Redirect collected 33 kids
who were identified as being absent from school without authority and returned
them to school. The communication between PCYC and WA Police around the
assignment of those officers could have been better, and I have portrayed to WA
Police that the communication between PCYC and WA Police around the assignment
of those officers needs to be improved. As a result, some of the youth offender
programs at Rockingham PCYC—the Weld to Life program and the Right to
Write program—were jeopardised. The Right to Write program was
cancelled this morning because the police officer assigned to it was assigned
dual roles; he was assigned to one of the other programs run by WA Police and
PCYCs. I have been assured by WA Police that police officers will be available
for the Right to Write and Weld for Life programs over the next four weeks
while police officers are also engaged in Operation Redirect and Operation Safe
Place during the school holidays.
I wanted to put on the record the
fact that our position has not changed. The position of the commissioner has
not changed. The police officers involved in youth liaison will still be
engaged in youth liaison with PCYCs in addition to Operation Redirect and
Operation Safe Place. I have put to WA Police and the PCYCs that it is probably
in the best interests of those offender programs and in the interests of those
young offenders that they come to some sort of memorandum of understanding or
agreement so that everybody is clear about where the officers will be, which
programs they will be available to assist with and, in addition, have a
detailed communication agreement so it is very, very clear when officers are
shifted from program to program. This will ensure that PCYCs know where the
officers will be, the officers know where they will be and, most importantly,
the children involved in the youth-at-risk programs are able to attend those
programs and liaise with WA Police, which is the entire purpose of PCYCs.
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