❓ Mr Wyatt asks how the Police Assistance Centre improves police response times. Mr Kobelke responds, highlighting improved call answering rates and resource allocation, contrasting it with the previous Liberal government's performance.
AnsweredQoN 317Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
POLICE ASSISTANCE CENTRE
Can the minister please advise the house how the Police Assistance Centre is allowing police to better respond to the Western Australian community? Mr J.C. KOBELKE
Can the minister please advise the house how the Police Assistance Centre is allowing police to better respond to the Western Australian community? Mr J.C. KOBELKE
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member for his question and for his support for police in his electorate and throughout Western Australia. Clearly, the Police Assistance Centre has been an outstanding success since it was established in 2005. We are very well aware that in 2000 half the number of calls to police went unanswered. When I asked for statistics, the best information I could get was that approximately half the calls to Western Australia Police went unanswered, irrespective of the urgency of the call. Whether it was to provide police with information that might lead to arrest, the police taking action or to seek police assistance, approximately half the callers were hanging up because they could not get through. In 2005 the Police Assistance Centre was designated to take 37 800 calls a month and to respond to 85 per cent of those calls within 20 seconds. However, the success of the centre meant that it was responding to just over 31 000 calls a month in 2005 and then to 41 000 calls a month in 2006. By the end of 2007, the centre was receiving some 45 800 calls a month. In March 2008, the centre received more than 53 000 calls—that is 40 per cent more calls than for what it was resourced—and yet 75 to 80 per cent of those calls were still answered within the required 20-second response rate. The centre provided the information to the police so that they could respond and take action on behalf of the community. The 2008-09 budget contains another $4.7 million over four years and will add another 18 full-time equivalent employees to the Police Assistance Centre. That will allow the centre to continue to provide an excellent service and ensure that those people who need to contact the police can do so. The police can then task the jobs and respond to the needs of the community. One further reason we see declining crime rates in the state is that the police are getting the message in a timely way and are able to respond and take action. Several members interjected. Mr J.C. KOBELKE : We hear the noise opposite, Mr Speaker. When the Liberal Party was in government, half the calls to police went unanswered—they were not even answered! Mr T. Buswell : How do you know this? Mr J.C. KOBELKE : I had a case driving on the freeway one night, around 9.30 pm. Mr T. Buswell : Oh, you rang up! The SPEAKER : Leader of the Opposition! Mr J.C. KOBELKE : I was driving along the freeway and someone was walking, illegally, along the side the freeway. Worried for the person’s safety, I rang the police. This was in 2000. I timed my call. Nine minutes later I had arrived at the function I had been going to and my call was still unanswered. That is what happened under a Liberal government. Under this government we now have a Police Assistance Centre that provides a timely response, and, as a result of that, the police are more effective and we see a reduction in crime levels in Western Australia.
Mr J.C. KOBELKE replied: I thank the member for his question and for his support for police in his electorate and throughout Western Australia. Clearly, the Police Assistance Centre has been an outstanding success since it was established in 2005. We are very well aware that in 2000 half the number of calls to police went unanswered. When I asked for statistics, the best information I could get was that approximately half the calls to Western Australia Police went unanswered, irrespective of the urgency of the call. Whether it was to provide police with information that might lead to arrest, the police taking action or to seek police assistance, approximately half the callers were hanging up because they could not get through. In 2005 the Police Assistance Centre was designated to take 37 800 calls a month and to respond to 85 per cent of those calls within 20 seconds. However, the success of the centre meant that it was responding to just over 31 000 calls a month in 2005 and then to 41 000 calls a month in 2006. By the end of 2007, the centre was receiving some 45 800 calls a month. In March 2008, the centre received more than 53 000 calls—that is 40 per cent more calls than for what it was resourced—and yet 75 to 80 per cent of those calls were still answered within the required 20-second response rate. The centre provided the information to the police so that they could respond and take action on behalf of the community. The 2008-09 budget contains another $4.7 million over four years and will add another 18 full-time equivalent employees to the Police Assistance Centre. That will allow the centre to continue to provide an excellent service and ensure that those people who need to contact the police can do so. The police can then task the jobs and respond to the needs of the community. One further reason we see declining crime rates in the state is that the police are getting the message in a timely way and are able to respond and take action. Several members interjected. Mr J.C. KOBELKE : We hear the noise opposite, Mr Speaker. When the Liberal Party was in government, half the calls to police went unanswered—they were not even answered! Mr T. Buswell : How do you know this? Mr J.C. KOBELKE : I had a case driving on the freeway one night, around 9.30 pm. Mr T. Buswell : Oh, you rang up! The SPEAKER : Leader of the Opposition! Mr J.C. KOBELKE : I was driving along the freeway and someone was walking, illegally, along the side the freeway. Worried for the person’s safety, I rang the police. This was in 2000. I timed my call. Nine minutes later I had arrived at the function I had been going to and my call was still unanswered. That is what happened under a Liberal government. Under this government we now have a Police Assistance Centre that provides a timely response, and, as a result of that, the police are more effective and we see a reduction in crime levels in Western Australia.
I thank the member for his question and for his support for police in his electorate and throughout Western Australia. Clearly, the Police Assistance Centre has been an outstanding success since it was established in 2005. We are very well aware that in 2000 half the number of calls to police went unanswered. When I asked for statistics, the best information I could get was that approximately half the calls to Western Australia Police went unanswered, irrespective of the urgency of the call. Whether it was to provide police with information that might lead to arrest, the police taking action or to seek police assistance, approximately half the callers were hanging up because they could not get through. In 2005 the Police Assistance Centre was designated to take 37 800 calls a month and to respond to 85 per cent of those calls within 20 seconds. However, the success of the centre meant that it was responding to just over 31 000 calls a month in 2005 and then to 41 000 calls a month in 2006. By the end of 2007, the centre was receiving some 45 800 calls a month. In March 2008, the centre received more than 53 000 calls—that is 40 per cent more calls than for what it was resourced—and yet 75 to 80 per cent of those calls were still answered within the required 20-second response rate. The centre provided the information to the police so that they could respond and take action on behalf of the community. The 2008-09 budget contains another $4.7 million over four years and will add another 18 full-time equivalent employees to the Police Assistance Centre. That will allow the centre to continue to provide an excellent service and ensure that those people who need to contact the police can do so. The police can then task the jobs and respond to the needs of the community. One further reason we see declining crime rates in the state is that the police are getting the message in a timely way and are able to respond and take action. Several members interjected. Mr J.C. KOBELKE : We hear the noise opposite, Mr Speaker. When the Liberal Party was in government, half the calls to police went unanswered—they were not even answered! Mr T. Buswell : How do you know this? Mr J.C. KOBELKE : I had a case driving on the freeway one night, around 9.30 pm. Mr T. Buswell : Oh, you rang up! The SPEAKER : Leader of the Opposition! Mr J.C. KOBELKE : I was driving along the freeway and someone was walking, illegally, along the side the freeway. Worried for the person’s safety, I rang the police. This was in 2000. I timed my call. Nine minutes later I had arrived at the function I had been going to and my call was still unanswered. That is what happened under a Liberal government. Under this government we now have a Police Assistance Centre that provides a timely response, and, as a result of that, the police are more effective and we see a reduction in crime levels in Western Australia.
Clearly, the Police Assistance Centre has been an outstanding success since it was established in 2005. We are very well aware that in 2000 half the number of calls to police went unanswered. When I asked for statistics, the best information I could get was that approximately half the calls to Western Australia Police went unanswered, irrespective of the urgency of the call. Whether it was to provide police with information that might lead to arrest, the police taking action or to seek police assistance, approximately half the callers were hanging up because they could not get through. In 2005 the Police Assistance Centre was designated to take 37 800 calls a month and to respond to 85 per cent of those calls within 20 seconds. However, the success of the centre meant that it was responding to just over 31 000 calls a month in 2005 and then to 41 000 calls a month in 2006. By the end of 2007, the centre was receiving some 45 800 calls a month. In March 2008, the centre received more than 53 000 calls—that is 40 per cent more calls than for what it was resourced—and yet 75 to 80 per cent of those calls were still answered within the required 20-second response rate. The centre provided the information to the police so that they could respond and take action on behalf of the community. The 2008-09 budget contains another $4.7 million over four years and will add another 18 full-time equivalent employees to the Police Assistance Centre. That will allow the centre to continue to provide an excellent service and ensure that those people who need to contact the police can do so. The police can then task the jobs and respond to the needs of the community. One further reason we see declining crime rates in the state is that the police are getting the message in a timely way and are able to respond and take action. Several members interjected. Mr J.C. KOBELKE : We hear the noise opposite, Mr Speaker. When the Liberal Party was in government, half the calls to police went unanswered—they were not even answered! Mr T. Buswell : How do you know this? Mr J.C. KOBELKE : I had a case driving on the freeway one night, around 9.30 pm. Mr T. Buswell : Oh, you rang up! The SPEAKER : Leader of the Opposition! Mr J.C. KOBELKE : I was driving along the freeway and someone was walking, illegally, along the side the freeway. Worried for the person’s safety, I rang the police. This was in 2000. I timed my call. Nine minutes later I had arrived at the function I had been going to and my call was still unanswered. That is what happened under a Liberal government. Under this government we now have a Police Assistance Centre that provides a timely response, and, as a result of that, the police are more effective and we see a reduction in crime levels in Western Australia.
In 2005 the Police Assistance Centre was designated to take 37 800 calls a month and to respond to 85 per cent of those calls within 20 seconds. However, the success of the centre meant that it was responding to just over 31 000 calls a month in 2005 and then to 41 000 calls a month in 2006. By the end of 2007, the centre was receiving some 45 800 calls a month. In March 2008, the centre received more than 53 000 calls—that is 40 per cent more calls than for what it was resourced—and yet 75 to 80 per cent of those calls were still answered within the required 20-second response rate. The centre provided the information to the police so that they could respond and take action on behalf of the community. The 2008-09 budget contains another $4.7 million over four years and will add another 18 full-time equivalent employees to the Police Assistance Centre. That will allow the centre to continue to provide an excellent service and ensure that those people who need to contact the police can do so. The police can then task the jobs and respond to the needs of the community. One further reason we see declining crime rates in the state is that the police are getting the message in a timely way and are able to respond and take action. Several members interjected. Mr J.C. KOBELKE : We hear the noise opposite, Mr Speaker. When the Liberal Party was in government, half the calls to police went unanswered—they were not even answered! Mr T. Buswell : How do you know this? Mr J.C. KOBELKE : I had a case driving on the freeway one night, around 9.30 pm. Mr T. Buswell : Oh, you rang up! The SPEAKER : Leader of the Opposition! Mr J.C. KOBELKE : I was driving along the freeway and someone was walking, illegally, along the side the freeway. Worried for the person’s safety, I rang the police. This was in 2000. I timed my call. Nine minutes later I had arrived at the function I had been going to and my call was still unanswered. That is what happened under a Liberal government. Under this government we now have a Police Assistance Centre that provides a timely response, and, as a result of that, the police are more effective and we see a reduction in crime levels in Western Australia.
The 2008-09 budget contains another $4.7 million over four years and will add another 18 full-time equivalent employees to the Police Assistance Centre. That will allow the centre to continue to provide an excellent service and ensure that those people who need to contact the police can do so. The police can then task the jobs and respond to the needs of the community. One further reason we see declining crime rates in the state is that the police are getting the message in a timely way and are able to respond and take action. Several members interjected. Mr J.C. KOBELKE : We hear the noise opposite, Mr Speaker. When the Liberal Party was in government, half the calls to police went unanswered—they were not even answered! Mr T. Buswell : How do you know this? Mr J.C. KOBELKE : I had a case driving on the freeway one night, around 9.30 pm. Mr T. Buswell : Oh, you rang up! The SPEAKER : Leader of the Opposition! Mr J.C. KOBELKE : I was driving along the freeway and someone was walking, illegally, along the side the freeway. Worried for the person’s safety, I rang the police. This was in 2000. I timed my call. Nine minutes later I had arrived at the function I had been going to and my call was still unanswered. That is what happened under a Liberal government. Under this government we now have a Police Assistance Centre that provides a timely response, and, as a result of that, the police are more effective and we see a reduction in crime levels in Western Australia.
Several members interjected. Mr J.C. KOBELKE : We hear the noise opposite, Mr Speaker. When the Liberal Party was in government, half the calls to police went unanswered—they were not even answered! Mr T. Buswell : How do you know this? Mr J.C. KOBELKE : I had a case driving on the freeway one night, around 9.30 pm. Mr T. Buswell : Oh, you rang up! The SPEAKER : Leader of the Opposition! Mr J.C. KOBELKE : I was driving along the freeway and someone was walking, illegally, along the side the freeway. Worried for the person’s safety, I rang the police. This was in 2000. I timed my call. Nine minutes later I had arrived at the function I had been going to and my call was still unanswered. That is what happened under a Liberal government. Under this government we now have a Police Assistance Centre that provides a timely response, and, as a result of that, the police are more effective and we see a reduction in crime levels in Western Australia.
Mr J.C. KOBELKE : We hear the noise opposite, Mr Speaker. When the Liberal Party was in government, half the calls to police went unanswered—they were not even answered! Mr T. Buswell : How do you know this? Mr J.C. KOBELKE : I had a case driving on the freeway one night, around 9.30 pm. Mr T. Buswell : Oh, you rang up! The SPEAKER : Leader of the Opposition! Mr J.C. KOBELKE : I was driving along the freeway and someone was walking, illegally, along the side the freeway. Worried for the person’s safety, I rang the police. This was in 2000. I timed my call. Nine minutes later I had arrived at the function I had been going to and my call was still unanswered. That is what happened under a Liberal government. Under this government we now have a Police Assistance Centre that provides a timely response, and, as a result of that, the police are more effective and we see a reduction in crime levels in Western Australia.
Mr T. Buswell : How do you know this? Mr J.C. KOBELKE : I had a case driving on the freeway one night, around 9.30 pm. Mr T. Buswell : Oh, you rang up! The SPEAKER : Leader of the Opposition! Mr J.C. KOBELKE : I was driving along the freeway and someone was walking, illegally, along the side the freeway. Worried for the person’s safety, I rang the police. This was in 2000. I timed my call. Nine minutes later I had arrived at the function I had been going to and my call was still unanswered. That is what happened under a Liberal government. Under this government we now have a Police Assistance Centre that provides a timely response, and, as a result of that, the police are more effective and we see a reduction in crime levels in Western Australia.
Mr J.C. KOBELKE : I had a case driving on the freeway one night, around 9.30 pm. Mr T. Buswell : Oh, you rang up! The SPEAKER : Leader of the Opposition! Mr J.C. KOBELKE : I was driving along the freeway and someone was walking, illegally, along the side the freeway. Worried for the person’s safety, I rang the police. This was in 2000. I timed my call. Nine minutes later I had arrived at the function I had been going to and my call was still unanswered. That is what happened under a Liberal government. Under this government we now have a Police Assistance Centre that provides a timely response, and, as a result of that, the police are more effective and we see a reduction in crime levels in Western Australia.
Mr T. Buswell : Oh, you rang up! The SPEAKER : Leader of the Opposition! Mr J.C. KOBELKE : I was driving along the freeway and someone was walking, illegally, along the side the freeway. Worried for the person’s safety, I rang the police. This was in 2000. I timed my call. Nine minutes later I had arrived at the function I had been going to and my call was still unanswered. That is what happened under a Liberal government. Under this government we now have a Police Assistance Centre that provides a timely response, and, as a result of that, the police are more effective and we see a reduction in crime levels in Western Australia.
The SPEAKER : Leader of the Opposition! Mr J.C. KOBELKE : I was driving along the freeway and someone was walking, illegally, along the side the freeway. Worried for the person’s safety, I rang the police. This was in 2000. I timed my call. Nine minutes later I had arrived at the function I had been going to and my call was still unanswered. That is what happened under a Liberal government. Under this government we now have a Police Assistance Centre that provides a timely response, and, as a result of that, the police are more effective and we see a reduction in crime levels in Western Australia.
Mr J.C. KOBELKE : I was driving along the freeway and someone was walking, illegally, along the side the freeway. Worried for the person’s safety, I rang the police. This was in 2000. I timed my call. Nine minutes later I had arrived at the function I had been going to and my call was still unanswered. That is what happened under a Liberal government. Under this government we now have a Police Assistance Centre that provides a timely response, and, as a result of that, the police are more effective and we see a reduction in crime levels in Western Australia.
Mr J.C. KOBELKE replied: I thank the member for his question and for his support for police in his electorate and throughout Western Australia. Clearly, the Police Assistance Centre has been an outstanding success since it was established in 2005. We are very well aware that in 2000 half the number of calls to police went unanswered. When I asked for statistics, the best information I could get was that approximately half the calls to Western Australia Police went unanswered, irrespective of the urgency of the call. Whether it was to provide police with information that might lead to arrest, the police taking action or to seek police assistance, approximately half the callers were hanging up because they could not get through. In 2005 the Police Assistance Centre was designated to take 37 800 calls a month and to respond to 85 per cent of those calls within 20 seconds. However, the success of the centre meant that it was responding to just over 31 000 calls a month in 2005 and then to 41 000 calls a month in 2006. By the end of 2007, the centre was receiving some 45 800 calls a month. In March 2008, the centre received more than 53 000 calls—that is 40 per cent more calls than for what it was resourced—and yet 75 to 80 per cent of those calls were still answered within the required 20-second response rate. The centre provided the information to the police so that they could respond and take action on behalf of the community. The 2008-09 budget contains another $4.7 million over four years and will add another 18 full-time equivalent employees to the Police Assistance Centre. That will allow the centre to continue to provide an excellent service and ensure that those people who need to contact the police can do so. The police can then task the jobs and respond to the needs of the community. One further reason we see declining crime rates in the state is that the police are getting the message in a timely way and are able to respond and take action. Several members interjected. Mr J.C. KOBELKE : We hear the noise opposite, Mr Speaker. When the Liberal Party was in government, half the calls to police went unanswered—they were not even answered! Mr T. Buswell : How do you know this? Mr J.C. KOBELKE : I had a case driving on the freeway one night, around 9.30 pm. Mr T. Buswell : Oh, you rang up! The SPEAKER : Leader of the Opposition! Mr J.C. KOBELKE : I was driving along the freeway and someone was walking, illegally, along the side the freeway. Worried for the person’s safety, I rang the police. This was in 2000. I timed my call. Nine minutes later I had arrived at the function I had been going to and my call was still unanswered. That is what happened under a Liberal government. Under this government we now have a Police Assistance Centre that provides a timely response, and, as a result of that, the police are more effective and we see a reduction in crime levels in Western Australia.
I thank the member for his question and for his support for police in his electorate and throughout Western Australia. Clearly, the Police Assistance Centre has been an outstanding success since it was established in 2005. We are very well aware that in 2000 half the number of calls to police went unanswered. When I asked for statistics, the best information I could get was that approximately half the calls to Western Australia Police went unanswered, irrespective of the urgency of the call. Whether it was to provide police with information that might lead to arrest, the police taking action or to seek police assistance, approximately half the callers were hanging up because they could not get through. In 2005 the Police Assistance Centre was designated to take 37 800 calls a month and to respond to 85 per cent of those calls within 20 seconds. However, the success of the centre meant that it was responding to just over 31 000 calls a month in 2005 and then to 41 000 calls a month in 2006. By the end of 2007, the centre was receiving some 45 800 calls a month. In March 2008, the centre received more than 53 000 calls—that is 40 per cent more calls than for what it was resourced—and yet 75 to 80 per cent of those calls were still answered within the required 20-second response rate. The centre provided the information to the police so that they could respond and take action on behalf of the community. The 2008-09 budget contains another $4.7 million over four years and will add another 18 full-time equivalent employees to the Police Assistance Centre. That will allow the centre to continue to provide an excellent service and ensure that those people who need to contact the police can do so. The police can then task the jobs and respond to the needs of the community. One further reason we see declining crime rates in the state is that the police are getting the message in a timely way and are able to respond and take action. Several members interjected. Mr J.C. KOBELKE : We hear the noise opposite, Mr Speaker. When the Liberal Party was in government, half the calls to police went unanswered—they were not even answered! Mr T. Buswell : How do you know this? Mr J.C. KOBELKE : I had a case driving on the freeway one night, around 9.30 pm. Mr T. Buswell : Oh, you rang up! The SPEAKER : Leader of the Opposition! Mr J.C. KOBELKE : I was driving along the freeway and someone was walking, illegally, along the side the freeway. Worried for the person’s safety, I rang the police. This was in 2000. I timed my call. Nine minutes later I had arrived at the function I had been going to and my call was still unanswered. That is what happened under a Liberal government. Under this government we now have a Police Assistance Centre that provides a timely response, and, as a result of that, the police are more effective and we see a reduction in crime levels in Western Australia.
Clearly, the Police Assistance Centre has been an outstanding success since it was established in 2005. We are very well aware that in 2000 half the number of calls to police went unanswered. When I asked for statistics, the best information I could get was that approximately half the calls to Western Australia Police went unanswered, irrespective of the urgency of the call. Whether it was to provide police with information that might lead to arrest, the police taking action or to seek police assistance, approximately half the callers were hanging up because they could not get through. In 2005 the Police Assistance Centre was designated to take 37 800 calls a month and to respond to 85 per cent of those calls within 20 seconds. However, the success of the centre meant that it was responding to just over 31 000 calls a month in 2005 and then to 41 000 calls a month in 2006. By the end of 2007, the centre was receiving some 45 800 calls a month. In March 2008, the centre received more than 53 000 calls—that is 40 per cent more calls than for what it was resourced—and yet 75 to 80 per cent of those calls were still answered within the required 20-second response rate. The centre provided the information to the police so that they could respond and take action on behalf of the community. The 2008-09 budget contains another $4.7 million over four years and will add another 18 full-time equivalent employees to the Police Assistance Centre. That will allow the centre to continue to provide an excellent service and ensure that those people who need to contact the police can do so. The police can then task the jobs and respond to the needs of the community. One further reason we see declining crime rates in the state is that the police are getting the message in a timely way and are able to respond and take action. Several members interjected. Mr J.C. KOBELKE : We hear the noise opposite, Mr Speaker. When the Liberal Party was in government, half the calls to police went unanswered—they were not even answered! Mr T. Buswell : How do you know this? Mr J.C. KOBELKE : I had a case driving on the freeway one night, around 9.30 pm. Mr T. Buswell : Oh, you rang up! The SPEAKER : Leader of the Opposition! Mr J.C. KOBELKE : I was driving along the freeway and someone was walking, illegally, along the side the freeway. Worried for the person’s safety, I rang the police. This was in 2000. I timed my call. Nine minutes later I had arrived at the function I had been going to and my call was still unanswered. That is what happened under a Liberal government. Under this government we now have a Police Assistance Centre that provides a timely response, and, as a result of that, the police are more effective and we see a reduction in crime levels in Western Australia.
In 2005 the Police Assistance Centre was designated to take 37 800 calls a month and to respond to 85 per cent of those calls within 20 seconds. However, the success of the centre meant that it was responding to just over 31 000 calls a month in 2005 and then to 41 000 calls a month in 2006. By the end of 2007, the centre was receiving some 45 800 calls a month. In March 2008, the centre received more than 53 000 calls—that is 40 per cent more calls than for what it was resourced—and yet 75 to 80 per cent of those calls were still answered within the required 20-second response rate. The centre provided the information to the police so that they could respond and take action on behalf of the community. The 2008-09 budget contains another $4.7 million over four years and will add another 18 full-time equivalent employees to the Police Assistance Centre. That will allow the centre to continue to provide an excellent service and ensure that those people who need to contact the police can do so. The police can then task the jobs and respond to the needs of the community. One further reason we see declining crime rates in the state is that the police are getting the message in a timely way and are able to respond and take action. Several members interjected. Mr J.C. KOBELKE : We hear the noise opposite, Mr Speaker. When the Liberal Party was in government, half the calls to police went unanswered—they were not even answered! Mr T. Buswell : How do you know this? Mr J.C. KOBELKE : I had a case driving on the freeway one night, around 9.30 pm. Mr T. Buswell : Oh, you rang up! The SPEAKER : Leader of the Opposition! Mr J.C. KOBELKE : I was driving along the freeway and someone was walking, illegally, along the side the freeway. Worried for the person’s safety, I rang the police. This was in 2000. I timed my call. Nine minutes later I had arrived at the function I had been going to and my call was still unanswered. That is what happened under a Liberal government. Under this government we now have a Police Assistance Centre that provides a timely response, and, as a result of that, the police are more effective and we see a reduction in crime levels in Western Australia.
The 2008-09 budget contains another $4.7 million over four years and will add another 18 full-time equivalent employees to the Police Assistance Centre. That will allow the centre to continue to provide an excellent service and ensure that those people who need to contact the police can do so. The police can then task the jobs and respond to the needs of the community. One further reason we see declining crime rates in the state is that the police are getting the message in a timely way and are able to respond and take action. Several members interjected. Mr J.C. KOBELKE : We hear the noise opposite, Mr Speaker. When the Liberal Party was in government, half the calls to police went unanswered—they were not even answered! Mr T. Buswell : How do you know this? Mr J.C. KOBELKE : I had a case driving on the freeway one night, around 9.30 pm. Mr T. Buswell : Oh, you rang up! The SPEAKER : Leader of the Opposition! Mr J.C. KOBELKE : I was driving along the freeway and someone was walking, illegally, along the side the freeway. Worried for the person’s safety, I rang the police. This was in 2000. I timed my call. Nine minutes later I had arrived at the function I had been going to and my call was still unanswered. That is what happened under a Liberal government. Under this government we now have a Police Assistance Centre that provides a timely response, and, as a result of that, the police are more effective and we see a reduction in crime levels in Western Australia.
Several members interjected. Mr J.C. KOBELKE : We hear the noise opposite, Mr Speaker. When the Liberal Party was in government, half the calls to police went unanswered—they were not even answered! Mr T. Buswell : How do you know this? Mr J.C. KOBELKE : I had a case driving on the freeway one night, around 9.30 pm. Mr T. Buswell : Oh, you rang up! The SPEAKER : Leader of the Opposition! Mr J.C. KOBELKE : I was driving along the freeway and someone was walking, illegally, along the side the freeway. Worried for the person’s safety, I rang the police. This was in 2000. I timed my call. Nine minutes later I had arrived at the function I had been going to and my call was still unanswered. That is what happened under a Liberal government. Under this government we now have a Police Assistance Centre that provides a timely response, and, as a result of that, the police are more effective and we see a reduction in crime levels in Western Australia.
Mr J.C. KOBELKE : We hear the noise opposite, Mr Speaker. When the Liberal Party was in government, half the calls to police went unanswered—they were not even answered! Mr T. Buswell : How do you know this? Mr J.C. KOBELKE : I had a case driving on the freeway one night, around 9.30 pm. Mr T. Buswell : Oh, you rang up! The SPEAKER : Leader of the Opposition! Mr J.C. KOBELKE : I was driving along the freeway and someone was walking, illegally, along the side the freeway. Worried for the person’s safety, I rang the police. This was in 2000. I timed my call. Nine minutes later I had arrived at the function I had been going to and my call was still unanswered. That is what happened under a Liberal government. Under this government we now have a Police Assistance Centre that provides a timely response, and, as a result of that, the police are more effective and we see a reduction in crime levels in Western Australia.
Mr T. Buswell : How do you know this? Mr J.C. KOBELKE : I had a case driving on the freeway one night, around 9.30 pm. Mr T. Buswell : Oh, you rang up! The SPEAKER : Leader of the Opposition! Mr J.C. KOBELKE : I was driving along the freeway and someone was walking, illegally, along the side the freeway. Worried for the person’s safety, I rang the police. This was in 2000. I timed my call. Nine minutes later I had arrived at the function I had been going to and my call was still unanswered. That is what happened under a Liberal government. Under this government we now have a Police Assistance Centre that provides a timely response, and, as a result of that, the police are more effective and we see a reduction in crime levels in Western Australia.
Mr J.C. KOBELKE : I had a case driving on the freeway one night, around 9.30 pm. Mr T. Buswell : Oh, you rang up! The SPEAKER : Leader of the Opposition! Mr J.C. KOBELKE : I was driving along the freeway and someone was walking, illegally, along the side the freeway. Worried for the person’s safety, I rang the police. This was in 2000. I timed my call. Nine minutes later I had arrived at the function I had been going to and my call was still unanswered. That is what happened under a Liberal government. Under this government we now have a Police Assistance Centre that provides a timely response, and, as a result of that, the police are more effective and we see a reduction in crime levels in Western Australia.
Mr T. Buswell : Oh, you rang up! The SPEAKER : Leader of the Opposition! Mr J.C. KOBELKE : I was driving along the freeway and someone was walking, illegally, along the side the freeway. Worried for the person’s safety, I rang the police. This was in 2000. I timed my call. Nine minutes later I had arrived at the function I had been going to and my call was still unanswered. That is what happened under a Liberal government. Under this government we now have a Police Assistance Centre that provides a timely response, and, as a result of that, the police are more effective and we see a reduction in crime levels in Western Australia.
The SPEAKER : Leader of the Opposition! Mr J.C. KOBELKE : I was driving along the freeway and someone was walking, illegally, along the side the freeway. Worried for the person’s safety, I rang the police. This was in 2000. I timed my call. Nine minutes later I had arrived at the function I had been going to and my call was still unanswered. That is what happened under a Liberal government. Under this government we now have a Police Assistance Centre that provides a timely response, and, as a result of that, the police are more effective and we see a reduction in crime levels in Western Australia.
Mr J.C. KOBELKE : I was driving along the freeway and someone was walking, illegally, along the side the freeway. Worried for the person’s safety, I rang the police. This was in 2000. I timed my call. Nine minutes later I had arrived at the function I had been going to and my call was still unanswered. That is what happened under a Liberal government. Under this government we now have a Police Assistance Centre that provides a timely response, and, as a result of that, the police are more effective and we see a reduction in crime levels in Western Australia.
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