❓ Mr. Morton asks how voluntary severances for police officers will enhance front-line services in his electorate. The Minister responds that the program allows officers no longer fit for front-line duties to exit with dignity, and that recruitment will offset any temporary dip in numbers.
AnsweredQoN 838Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
POLICE — VOLUNTARY SEVERANCES
838. MR N.W. MORTON to the Minister for
Police:
Before I ask my question, can I just
quickly acknowledge the great win that the parliamentary cricket team had
against the media on Friday.
Can the minister please update the
house on how today's announcement on voluntary severances for police
officers will enhance the delivery of front-line services for people in my
electorate?
838. MR N.W. MORTON to the Minister for
Police:
Before I ask my question, can I just
quickly acknowledge the great win that the parliamentary cricket team had
against the media on Friday.
Can the minister please update the
house on how today's announcement on voluntary severances for police
officers will enhance the delivery of front-line services for people in my
electorate?
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member for Forrestfield
for this question and his continued interest in law and order matters and
policing in his electorate.
This program of voluntary severances
for WA police officers is about enhancing and improving the front-line service
capacity of WA Police. Today, I was pleased to announce that the state
government has given approval for WA Police to offer voluntary severance to 196
police officers. These officers have an average age of 57 years. Some of these
officers have served their entire careers with WA Police. I would like to put
on the record that many of them have had long and distinguished careers of
great service to WA Police and the Western Australian community. This voluntary
severance package is about offering police officers who are no longer fit for
front-line duties the opportunity to exit WA Police with dignity and respect
and to move into retirement or other employment. Generally, Western Australian
police officers join the force because they want to deal with the community and
serve on the front line, something the government and the community values
highly. When police officers become chained to a desk and no longer able to do
front-line work, inevitably, if they are given the opportunity to exit with
dignity and grace, they will take it. This, the member for Forrestfield will be
pleased to know, will not affect our ability to achieve our election
commitments of 2008 or 2013 to recruit additional officers to serve on the
front line. If the 196 officers choose to accept the voluntary severance
package offered by the government, they will leave the police force over the
next few months until March 2014. We will therefore see a temporary dip in our
overall numbers, but over time with our aggressive recruiting and with the
capacity and known throughput at the academy, we intend to achieve the
commitment that we put to the community to enhance front-line services with
those additional 550 police and police auxiliary officers from 2013.
Mr
B.S. Wyatt : Plus the 200 you just got rid of, so it's 700!
The
SPEAKER : Member for Victoria Park!
Mrs
L.M. HARVEY : Indeed. Member for Victoria Park, I thank you so much for
reiterating what was received by members of the community as this side of the
house listened to their concerns about wanting front-line police services
enhanced in their community.
Mr
B.S. Wyatt interjected.
The
SPEAKER : Member for Victoria Park!
Mrs L.M. HARVEY :
Of the commitment we made in 2008, we have 100 additional officers to recruit,
and indeed we will do that by June 2014, with the remainder of the 550 police
and police auxiliary officers to come online by 2017. This is also part of our
reform program. As part of the reform program for those 196 police officers who
will take up the voluntary severance package, we are having a look at the jobs
that those officers are doing to determine whether that function is required by
WA Police and to see whether we can find another way of performing that
function and flattening our structure.
I am very pleased to say also that WA Police, through reform,
doing things more efficiently and more effectively and spending its dollars
more wisely, has been able to fund this $37 million package from within its
budget. It is therefore a win-win situation; 196 Western Australian police
officers are now very, very pleased to have been offered the voluntary
severance package that was made available to other public sector employees. I
look forward to making further announcements in this house about the
enhancements through the reform 2020 program to our front-line service
delivery.
for this question and his continued interest in law and order matters and
policing in his electorate.
This program of voluntary severances
for WA police officers is about enhancing and improving the front-line service
capacity of WA Police. Today, I was pleased to announce that the state
government has given approval for WA Police to offer voluntary severance to 196
police officers. These officers have an average age of 57 years. Some of these
officers have served their entire careers with WA Police. I would like to put
on the record that many of them have had long and distinguished careers of
great service to WA Police and the Western Australian community. This voluntary
severance package is about offering police officers who are no longer fit for
front-line duties the opportunity to exit WA Police with dignity and respect
and to move into retirement or other employment. Generally, Western Australian
police officers join the force because they want to deal with the community and
serve on the front line, something the government and the community values
highly. When police officers become chained to a desk and no longer able to do
front-line work, inevitably, if they are given the opportunity to exit with
dignity and grace, they will take it. This, the member for Forrestfield will be
pleased to know, will not affect our ability to achieve our election
commitments of 2008 or 2013 to recruit additional officers to serve on the
front line. If the 196 officers choose to accept the voluntary severance
package offered by the government, they will leave the police force over the
next few months until March 2014. We will therefore see a temporary dip in our
overall numbers, but over time with our aggressive recruiting and with the
capacity and known throughput at the academy, we intend to achieve the
commitment that we put to the community to enhance front-line services with
those additional 550 police and police auxiliary officers from 2013.
Mr
B.S. Wyatt : Plus the 200 you just got rid of, so it's 700!
The
SPEAKER : Member for Victoria Park!
Mrs
L.M. HARVEY : Indeed. Member for Victoria Park, I thank you so much for
reiterating what was received by members of the community as this side of the
house listened to their concerns about wanting front-line police services
enhanced in their community.
Mr
B.S. Wyatt interjected.
The
SPEAKER : Member for Victoria Park!
Mrs L.M. HARVEY :
Of the commitment we made in 2008, we have 100 additional officers to recruit,
and indeed we will do that by June 2014, with the remainder of the 550 police
and police auxiliary officers to come online by 2017. This is also part of our
reform program. As part of the reform program for those 196 police officers who
will take up the voluntary severance package, we are having a look at the jobs
that those officers are doing to determine whether that function is required by
WA Police and to see whether we can find another way of performing that
function and flattening our structure.
I am very pleased to say also that WA Police, through reform,
doing things more efficiently and more effectively and spending its dollars
more wisely, has been able to fund this $37 million package from within its
budget. It is therefore a win-win situation; 196 Western Australian police
officers are now very, very pleased to have been offered the voluntary
severance package that was made available to other public sector employees. I
look forward to making further announcements in this house about the
enhancements through the reform 2020 program to our front-line service
delivery.
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