❓ Ms Mettam questions the Minister for Police about the decrease in dedicated family and domestic violence (FDV) officers despite a rise in FDV offences. The Minister clarifies that while dedicated teams have slightly decreased, all officers are now trained in FDV response and equipped with body-worn cameras, ensuring a more comprehensive approach.
AnsweredQoN 519Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
POLICE — FAMILY
AND DOMESTIC VIOLENCE TEAMS
519. Ms L. METTAM to the Minister for Police:
I
refer to figures on the Western Australia Police Force website that across WA
family-related offences were up 18 per cent from 2022–23
compared with the year prior and that the number of WAPOL officers dedicated to
tackling family and domestic violence fell from 90 in 2020–21 to 87 in
2021–22. Why is it that with family and domestic violence rising in WA
the number of WA police officers dedicated to family violence is fewer than it
was two years ago?
AND DOMESTIC VIOLENCE TEAMS
519. Ms L. METTAM to the Minister for Police:
I
refer to figures on the Western Australia Police Force website that across WA
family-related offences were up 18 per cent from 2022–23
compared with the year prior and that the number of WAPOL officers dedicated to
tackling family and domestic violence fell from 90 in 2020–21 to 87 in
2021–22. Why is it that with family and domestic violence rising in WA
the number of WA police officers dedicated to family violence is fewer than it
was two years ago?
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member for her question
because it gives me the opportunity to clarify a couple of things. The member
referred to the number of police officers dedicated to family violence teams.
In the past, some governments ago, there may have been dedicated individuals
who responded as primary responders, but they are not that now. Those teams the
member refers to—it is 87.66 FTE; a difference of 1.4 FTE—review
all responses to family and domestic violence incidents. As the member would be
aware, thanks to the Speaker in her term as the Minister for Police, every
police officer in Western Australia responding to an incident has a body-worn
camera. They are activated in those
instances. The encounters between victims and offenders are recorded and those
officers review them to ensure that procedures have been followed. Every
single police office in Western Australia is trained in FDV response.
The days of FDV not being considered
as a serious offence are long gone. That is a good thing. It means that, increasingly, potential victims of family and
domestic violence can feel confident that they can notify police, whereas in the past they may not have done that. They
feel confident that they can and they will be treated respectfully, and
the offence that they are potentially the victim of will be treated as a serious
crime. That is a good thing and that is a part of the contribution to the
increase we are seeing. It is not the only thing. FDV is an appalling thing. It
was a hidden epidemic. It was something that was not recorded, reported or
acknowledged in society. It is a good thing that that has now changed. It is
terrible that it is there but it is great that we are increasingly focused on
responding to it. I assure the member that there is no removal of resources for
that. As she knows, we are training more police officers. They are all being
trained in FDV. There are 300 officers at the academy right now, and 1 600 Western
Australians and 1 335 international officers have applied to join the Western Australia
Police Force. All of them will receive FDV training and all of them will
respond appropriately.
because it gives me the opportunity to clarify a couple of things. The member
referred to the number of police officers dedicated to family violence teams.
In the past, some governments ago, there may have been dedicated individuals
who responded as primary responders, but they are not that now. Those teams the
member refers to—it is 87.66 FTE; a difference of 1.4 FTE—review
all responses to family and domestic violence incidents. As the member would be
aware, thanks to the Speaker in her term as the Minister for Police, every
police officer in Western Australia responding to an incident has a body-worn
camera. They are activated in those
instances. The encounters between victims and offenders are recorded and those
officers review them to ensure that procedures have been followed. Every
single police office in Western Australia is trained in FDV response.
The days of FDV not being considered
as a serious offence are long gone. That is a good thing. It means that, increasingly, potential victims of family and
domestic violence can feel confident that they can notify police, whereas in the past they may not have done that. They
feel confident that they can and they will be treated respectfully, and
the offence that they are potentially the victim of will be treated as a serious
crime. That is a good thing and that is a part of the contribution to the
increase we are seeing. It is not the only thing. FDV is an appalling thing. It
was a hidden epidemic. It was something that was not recorded, reported or
acknowledged in society. It is a good thing that that has now changed. It is
terrible that it is there but it is great that we are increasingly focused on
responding to it. I assure the member that there is no removal of resources for
that. As she knows, we are training more police officers. They are all being
trained in FDV. There are 300 officers at the academy right now, and 1 600 Western
Australians and 1 335 international officers have applied to join the Western Australia
Police Force. All of them will receive FDV training and all of them will
respond appropriately.
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