❓ POLICE WATCH-HOUSE — CUSTODY OFFICERS 347. Mrs M.H. ROBERTS to the Minister for Police: I have a supplementary question. How does the minister explain his answer in this house to a parliamentary quest
AnsweredQoN 347Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
POLICE WATCH-HOUSE — CUSTODY
OFFICERS
347. Mrs M.H. ROBERTS to the Minister for Police:
I have a supplementary question. How does the minister
explain his answer in this house to a parliamentary question in which he stated
that the staffing profile for the Perth watch-house in February 2009 was 59
sworn officers, including one senior sergeant, 10 sergeants and 48 constables?
That was in February 2009, six months after the election, and there were no
custody officers. That was the minister's answer.
Mr R.F. Johnson :
Sorry, in what month?
Mrs M.H. ROBERTS :
It was February 2009—six months after the current Minister for Police
became minister.
Mr R.F. Johnson :
Is that six months, is it?
Mrs M.H. ROBERTS :
Yes.
Mr R.F. Johnson :
Is that six months after I became the minister? I think you need a lesson in —
Mrs M.H. ROBERTS :
It was five or six months.
Mr R.F. Johnson :
Five or six months now? There we go, now it is five or six months.
Mr B.S. Wyatt :
Answer the question.
OFFICERS
347. Mrs M.H. ROBERTS to the Minister for Police:
I have a supplementary question. How does the minister
explain his answer in this house to a parliamentary question in which he stated
that the staffing profile for the Perth watch-house in February 2009 was 59
sworn officers, including one senior sergeant, 10 sergeants and 48 constables?
That was in February 2009, six months after the election, and there were no
custody officers. That was the minister's answer.
Mr R.F. Johnson :
Sorry, in what month?
Mrs M.H. ROBERTS :
It was February 2009—six months after the current Minister for Police
became minister.
Mr R.F. Johnson :
Is that six months, is it?
Mrs M.H. ROBERTS :
Yes.
Mr R.F. Johnson :
Is that six months after I became the minister? I think you need a lesson in —
Mrs M.H. ROBERTS :
It was five or six months.
Mr R.F. Johnson :
Five or six months now? There we go, now it is five or six months.
Mr B.S. Wyatt :
Answer the question.
AnswerView source ↗
I can answer the question; I can tell members what the truth
is. Those custody officers were already being trained at the academy, I think.
They were put in place by the Labor government—the member for Balcatta
knows this—and some of them had already gone there. I will give the
dates later on, I have enough —
Mrs M.H. Roberts :
That's not what you answered in the Parliament—not what you
answered in the Parliament at all.
Several members interjected.
The
SPEAKER : Members!
Mr R.F. JOHNSON :
They were in transition, because the Labor government had —
Mrs M.H. Roberts :
When were you misleading—today or two years ago?
The SPEAKER :
Member for Midland!
Mr R.F. JOHNSON :
The Labor government had taken them on. The Labor Party initiated all this when
it was in government. The member for Balcatta knows this; he is an honourable
gentlemen.
Mrs M.H. Roberts :
You put them in the watch-house.
Mr R.F. JOHNSON :
You have not got a clue, my friend. Talk to the member for Balcatta; he will
tell the member for Midland the truth, because he will not tell her anything
other than the truth. I am sure about that.
Mrs M.H. Roberts :
You just said you put them in the watch-house in February 2009.
The SPEAKER :
Member for Midland, I formally call you to order for the first time today. This
is an opportunity to ask a supplementary question, it is not a continual
opportunity to keep on asking questions across the floor.
Mr
R.F. JOHNSON : I can just give a couple of quotes from the notes I have been
given. The request for a quote to outsource the recruitment process for custody
officers closed on 12 August —
Mrs M.H. Roberts For the watch-house? Nothing to do with the watch-house.
The SPEAKER :
Member for Midland!
Mr R.F. JOHNSON :
It closed on 12 August 2008. That was all put in place when Labor was in
government, and the member for Balcatta knows that. The successful tender was
to be finalised by 8 September —
Mrs M.H. Roberts :
Check your answer today; you said there were custody officers there in 2008.
Mr R.F. JOHNSON :
But the Labor government put them in place, it put them in train and they got
in there. Of course it took a few months to actually get them in there, but
they were the Labor government's custody officers.
Mrs M.H. Roberts :
You ought to read back over your first answer.
Mr R.F. JOHNSON :
We never, ever employed custody officers; we only employed police officers and
police auxiliary officers. The Labor government employed custody officers and
they were —
Mrs M.H. Roberts :
There were no custody officers in the watch-house in February 2009.
Mr
R.F. JOHNSON : I will give it to a member again. That is because that is how
long it took to get them in there; they were being trained. The member for
Balcatta knows and I hope he —
Mrs
M.H. Roberts : Trained for what purpose?
Mr R.F. JOHNSON :
The member for Midland should talk to the member for Balcatta more, because he
knows what he is talking about.
Mrs M.H. Roberts :
I've spoken to him.
Mr R.F. JOHNSON :
You have not got a clue.
is. Those custody officers were already being trained at the academy, I think.
They were put in place by the Labor government—the member for Balcatta
knows this—and some of them had already gone there. I will give the
dates later on, I have enough —
Mrs M.H. Roberts :
That's not what you answered in the Parliament—not what you
answered in the Parliament at all.
Several members interjected.
The
SPEAKER : Members!
Mr R.F. JOHNSON :
They were in transition, because the Labor government had —
Mrs M.H. Roberts :
When were you misleading—today or two years ago?
The SPEAKER :
Member for Midland!
Mr R.F. JOHNSON :
The Labor government had taken them on. The Labor Party initiated all this when
it was in government. The member for Balcatta knows this; he is an honourable
gentlemen.
Mrs M.H. Roberts :
You put them in the watch-house.
Mr R.F. JOHNSON :
You have not got a clue, my friend. Talk to the member for Balcatta; he will
tell the member for Midland the truth, because he will not tell her anything
other than the truth. I am sure about that.
Mrs M.H. Roberts :
You just said you put them in the watch-house in February 2009.
The SPEAKER :
Member for Midland, I formally call you to order for the first time today. This
is an opportunity to ask a supplementary question, it is not a continual
opportunity to keep on asking questions across the floor.
Mr
R.F. JOHNSON : I can just give a couple of quotes from the notes I have been
given. The request for a quote to outsource the recruitment process for custody
officers closed on 12 August —
Mrs M.H. Roberts For the watch-house? Nothing to do with the watch-house.
The SPEAKER :
Member for Midland!
Mr R.F. JOHNSON :
It closed on 12 August 2008. That was all put in place when Labor was in
government, and the member for Balcatta knows that. The successful tender was
to be finalised by 8 September —
Mrs M.H. Roberts :
Check your answer today; you said there were custody officers there in 2008.
Mr R.F. JOHNSON :
But the Labor government put them in place, it put them in train and they got
in there. Of course it took a few months to actually get them in there, but
they were the Labor government's custody officers.
Mrs M.H. Roberts :
You ought to read back over your first answer.
Mr R.F. JOHNSON :
We never, ever employed custody officers; we only employed police officers and
police auxiliary officers. The Labor government employed custody officers and
they were —
Mrs M.H. Roberts :
There were no custody officers in the watch-house in February 2009.
Mr
R.F. JOHNSON : I will give it to a member again. That is because that is how
long it took to get them in there; they were being trained. The member for
Balcatta knows and I hope he —
Mrs
M.H. Roberts : Trained for what purpose?
Mr R.F. JOHNSON :
The member for Midland should talk to the member for Balcatta more, because he
knows what he is talking about.
Mrs M.H. Roberts :
I've spoken to him.
Mr R.F. JOHNSON :
You have not got a clue.
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