WA Parliamentary Question on Notice regarding police resourcing in regional Western Australia. The answer provides data on authorised strength, actual strength, and vacancies in various regional police districts, while also highlighting the government's efforts to increase police numbers.

AnsweredQoN 925Legislative Council
Asked
20 September 2022
Portfolio
Police

QuestionView source ↗

I refer to regional Western Australia police resourcing and I ask, for each regional police district please detail the: (a) authorised strength (by FTE); (b) current police strength (by FTE); and (c) number of vacancies (by FTE)?

AnswerView source ↗

Answered
25 October 2022
Responded by
Minister for Emergency Services representing the Minister for Police
Response time
8 days
I thank the Honourable Member for the Question.
The McGowan Government is delivering 950 extra police officers over four years, the single largest increase in police officer numbers. There are 481 more police since the election of the McGowan Government. It is expected that over 400 new officers will graduate this year. FTE are deployed by the Commissioner of Police to address areas of greatest operational need.
The Western Australian Police Force advise:
a)       Authorised Strength (by FTE)
Data as at 30 September 2022: Goldfields-Esperance District - 239; Great Southern District - 195; Kimberley District - 242; Mid-West Gascoyne District - 274; Pilbara District - 249; South West District - 296; Wheatbelt District – 171.
b)      Actual Strength (by FTE)
Data as at 30 June 2017: Goldfields-Esperance District – 207.44; Great Southern District – 182.38; Kimberley District – 196.03; Mid-West Gascoyne District – 228.43; Pilbara District – 208.30; South West District – 240.68; Wheatbelt District – 149.56.
Data as at 30 September 2022: Goldfields-Esperance District - 218.3; Great Southern District - 188.8; Kimberley District - 224.0; Mid-West Gascoyne District - 259.7; Pilbara District - 238.0; South West District - 281.0; Wheatbelt District - 158.1.
c)       Number of vacancies (by FTE)
Data identifying officer numbers can vary daily due to a number of factors, including; natural attrition, leave without pay, and transfers between districts, and officers being attached to specific operations. The data includes all positions which are not substantively filled (i.e. internal vacancy) and which are still subject to advertisement/selection process. The   Police Officer Deployment Unit issue transfer notices to successful applicants, following   which an officer’s physical arrival in a new position can take up to six weeks in Regional Western Australia. The data does not reflect officer numbers undertaking operations, or for those providing support functions, nor targeted deployments, which regularly boost    local capacity. Data as at 30 September 2022: Goldfields-Esperance District - 16; Great Southern District - 7; Kimberley District - 19.5; Mid-West Gascoyne District - 14; Pilbara District - 8; South West District - 1; Wheatbelt District - 9.

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