❓ A WA parliamentary question on notice inquires about police officer to population and offence ratios in WA compared to other Australian jurisdictions. The Minister provides data for population ratios but declines to provide offence ratios due to resource constraints.
AnsweredQoN 290Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
(1) What is the current ratio of police officers to members of the Western Australian population? (2) How does the ratio in compare with the police officer to population ratio of other States and Territories? (3) What is the ratio of police officers to offences in Western Australia? (4) How does this ratio compare with the ratio of police officers to offences in other States and Territories? Answered on 6 September 2000 The Minister
AnswerView source ↗
Answered
6 September 2000
Response time
28 days
(1) 1:386.7 (i, ii) (2) The following are the most recent official National police to population ratios as published in the Report on Government Services 2000(iii) New South Wales 1:476 Victoria 1:488 Queensland 1:495 South Australia 1:431 Tasmania 1:441 Northern Territory 1:217 Western Australia 1:381 Australian Capital Territory 1:465 The ratios are based on 1998-1999 data. (3) The Western Australia Police Service records offence related information in two data systems, the: (i) Personal Apprehension Information System. Essentially, this System contains information about offenders; and (ii) Offence Information System (OIS). This System contains reported and detected offences against the person and property offences. It is from this System that this State's crime statistics are extracted. Offences against public order, such as disorderly conduct, and regulatory type offences, such as offences provided by the Firearms Act, Liquor Licensing Act, Road Traffic Act, and a number of other offences against the statute laws of this State and the Commonwealth are not recorded in the OIS. To determine the total number of discrete offences would require extensive interrogation of the above Systems, and the extrapolation and validation of the data. Providing a response to the Member's question would require the allocation of considerable police resources and time. Accordingly, I am unwilling to commit agency resources to this task. (4) This information is not published at a National level. Statistical Notes (i)The population figures used to calculate the police to population ratio are based on the latest available figures of Estimated Resident Populations as at 30 June, 1999, determined by the Australian Bureau of Statistics. The figures are a "best fit" of police boundaries with Census Collection District boundaries, the smallest spatial unit of the Australian Standard Geographical Classification. The populations relate to usual residents and do not reflect populations influenced by fluctuations in the movement of people associated with entertainment, employment, recreation, shopping and tourism. (ii)Counts of sworn police officers used to calculate the police to population ratio are based on approved average staffing levels (AASL) as at 31 July, 2000. The figures include senior police, police officers, Aboriginal Police Liaison Officers and special constables. Part-time employees are counted as a proportion of a full-time person, therefore the full-time equivalent used in the calculation may include a decimal place. This figure does not include unsworn Police Service personnel. (iii)Report on Government Services, Vol. 2., Part D Justice, Chapter 7 Police Services, Table 7A.13 Police Staff, by sworn/unsworn status (staff members per 100,000 population), p. 596.
(2) How does the ratio in compare with the police officer to population ratio of other States and Territories? (3) What is the ratio of police officers to offences in Western Australia? (4) How does this ratio compare with the ratio of police officers to offences in other States and Territories? Answered on 6 September 2000 The Minister Replied: (1) 1:386.7 (i, ii) (2) The following are the most recent official National police to population ratios as published in the Report on Government Services 2000(iii) New South Wales 1:476 Victoria 1:488 Queensland 1:495 South Australia 1:431 Tasmania 1:441 Northern Territory 1:217 Western Australia 1:381 Australian Capital Territory 1:465 The ratios are based on 1998-1999 data. (3) The Western Australia Police Service records offence related information in two data systems, the: (i) Personal Apprehension Information System. Essentially, this System contains information about offenders; and (ii) Offence Information System (OIS). This System contains reported and detected offences against the person and property offences. It is from this System that this State's crime statistics are extracted. Offences against public order, such as disorderly conduct, and regulatory type offences, such as offences provided by the Firearms Act, Liquor Licensing Act, Road Traffic Act, and a number of other offences against the statute laws of this State and the Commonwealth are not recorded in the OIS. To determine the total number of discrete offences would require extensive interrogation of the above Systems, and the extrapolation and validation of the data. Providing a response to the Member's question would require the allocation of considerable police resources and time. Accordingly, I am unwilling to commit agency resources to this task. (4) This information is not published at a National level. Statistical Notes (i)The population figures used to calculate the police to population ratio are based on the latest available figures of Estimated Resident Populations as at 30 June, 1999, determined by the Australian Bureau of Statistics. The figures are a "best fit" of police boundaries with Census Collection District boundaries, the smallest spatial unit of the Australian Standard Geographical Classification. The populations relate to usual residents and do not reflect populations influenced by fluctuations in the movement of people associated with entertainment, employment, recreation, shopping and tourism. (ii)Counts of sworn police officers used to calculate the police to population ratio are based on approved average staffing levels (AASL) as at 31 July, 2000. The figures include senior police, police officers, Aboriginal Police Liaison Officers and special constables. Part-time employees are counted as a proportion of a full-time person, therefore the full-time equivalent used in the calculation may include a decimal place. This figure does not include unsworn Police Service personnel. (iii)Report on Government Services, Vol. 2., Part D Justice, Chapter 7 Police Services, Table 7A.13 Police Staff, by sworn/unsworn status (staff members per 100,000 population), p. 596.
(3) What is the ratio of police officers to offences in Western Australia? (4) How does this ratio compare with the ratio of police officers to offences in other States and Territories? Answered on 6 September 2000 The Minister Replied: (1) 1:386.7 (i, ii) (2) The following are the most recent official National police to population ratios as published in the Report on Government Services 2000(iii) New South Wales 1:476 Victoria 1:488 Queensland 1:495 South Australia 1:431 Tasmania 1:441 Northern Territory 1:217 Western Australia 1:381 Australian Capital Territory 1:465 The ratios are based on 1998-1999 data. (3) The Western Australia Police Service records offence related information in two data systems, the: (i) Personal Apprehension Information System. Essentially, this System contains information about offenders; and (ii) Offence Information System (OIS). This System contains reported and detected offences against the person and property offences. It is from this System that this State's crime statistics are extracted. Offences against public order, such as disorderly conduct, and regulatory type offences, such as offences provided by the Firearms Act, Liquor Licensing Act, Road Traffic Act, and a number of other offences against the statute laws of this State and the Commonwealth are not recorded in the OIS. To determine the total number of discrete offences would require extensive interrogation of the above Systems, and the extrapolation and validation of the data. Providing a response to the Member's question would require the allocation of considerable police resources and time. Accordingly, I am unwilling to commit agency resources to this task. (4) This information is not published at a National level. Statistical Notes (i)The population figures used to calculate the police to population ratio are based on the latest available figures of Estimated Resident Populations as at 30 June, 1999, determined by the Australian Bureau of Statistics. The figures are a "best fit" of police boundaries with Census Collection District boundaries, the smallest spatial unit of the Australian Standard Geographical Classification. The populations relate to usual residents and do not reflect populations influenced by fluctuations in the movement of people associated with entertainment, employment, recreation, shopping and tourism. (ii)Counts of sworn police officers used to calculate the police to population ratio are based on approved average staffing levels (AASL) as at 31 July, 2000. The figures include senior police, police officers, Aboriginal Police Liaison Officers and special constables. Part-time employees are counted as a proportion of a full-time person, therefore the full-time equivalent used in the calculation may include a decimal place. This figure does not include unsworn Police Service personnel. (iii)Report on Government Services, Vol. 2., Part D Justice, Chapter 7 Police Services, Table 7A.13 Police Staff, by sworn/unsworn status (staff members per 100,000 population), p. 596.
(4) How does this ratio compare with the ratio of police officers to offences in other States and Territories? Answered on 6 September 2000 The Minister Replied: (1) 1:386.7 (i, ii) (2) The following are the most recent official National police to population ratios as published in the Report on Government Services 2000(iii) New South Wales 1:476 Victoria 1:488 Queensland 1:495 South Australia 1:431 Tasmania 1:441 Northern Territory 1:217 Western Australia 1:381 Australian Capital Territory 1:465 The ratios are based on 1998-1999 data. (3) The Western Australia Police Service records offence related information in two data systems, the: (i) Personal Apprehension Information System. Essentially, this System contains information about offenders; and (ii) Offence Information System (OIS). This System contains reported and detected offences against the person and property offences. It is from this System that this State's crime statistics are extracted. Offences against public order, such as disorderly conduct, and regulatory type offences, such as offences provided by the Firearms Act, Liquor Licensing Act, Road Traffic Act, and a number of other offences against the statute laws of this State and the Commonwealth are not recorded in the OIS. To determine the total number of discrete offences would require extensive interrogation of the above Systems, and the extrapolation and validation of the data. Providing a response to the Member's question would require the allocation of considerable police resources and time. Accordingly, I am unwilling to commit agency resources to this task. (4) This information is not published at a National level. Statistical Notes (i)The population figures used to calculate the police to population ratio are based on the latest available figures of Estimated Resident Populations as at 30 June, 1999, determined by the Australian Bureau of Statistics. The figures are a "best fit" of police boundaries with Census Collection District boundaries, the smallest spatial unit of the Australian Standard Geographical Classification. The populations relate to usual residents and do not reflect populations influenced by fluctuations in the movement of people associated with entertainment, employment, recreation, shopping and tourism. (ii)Counts of sworn police officers used to calculate the police to population ratio are based on approved average staffing levels (AASL) as at 31 July, 2000. The figures include senior police, police officers, Aboriginal Police Liaison Officers and special constables. Part-time employees are counted as a proportion of a full-time person, therefore the full-time equivalent used in the calculation may include a decimal place. This figure does not include unsworn Police Service personnel. (iii)Report on Government Services, Vol. 2., Part D Justice, Chapter 7 Police Services, Table 7A.13 Police Staff, by sworn/unsworn status (staff members per 100,000 population), p. 596.
Answered on 6 September 2000 The Minister Replied: (1) 1:386.7 (i, ii) (2) The following are the most recent official National police to population ratios as published in the Report on Government Services 2000(iii) New South Wales 1:476 Victoria 1:488 Queensland 1:495 South Australia 1:431 Tasmania 1:441 Northern Territory 1:217 Western Australia 1:381 Australian Capital Territory 1:465 The ratios are based on 1998-1999 data. (3) The Western Australia Police Service records offence related information in two data systems, the: (i) Personal Apprehension Information System. Essentially, this System contains information about offenders; and (ii) Offence Information System (OIS). This System contains reported and detected offences against the person and property offences. It is from this System that this State's crime statistics are extracted. Offences against public order, such as disorderly conduct, and regulatory type offences, such as offences provided by the Firearms Act, Liquor Licensing Act, Road Traffic Act, and a number of other offences against the statute laws of this State and the Commonwealth are not recorded in the OIS. To determine the total number of discrete offences would require extensive interrogation of the above Systems, and the extrapolation and validation of the data. Providing a response to the Member's question would require the allocation of considerable police resources and time. Accordingly, I am unwilling to commit agency resources to this task. (4) This information is not published at a National level. Statistical Notes (i)The population figures used to calculate the police to population ratio are based on the latest available figures of Estimated Resident Populations as at 30 June, 1999, determined by the Australian Bureau of Statistics. The figures are a "best fit" of police boundaries with Census Collection District boundaries, the smallest spatial unit of the Australian Standard Geographical Classification. The populations relate to usual residents and do not reflect populations influenced by fluctuations in the movement of people associated with entertainment, employment, recreation, shopping and tourism. (ii)Counts of sworn police officers used to calculate the police to population ratio are based on approved average staffing levels (AASL) as at 31 July, 2000. The figures include senior police, police officers, Aboriginal Police Liaison Officers and special constables. Part-time employees are counted as a proportion of a full-time person, therefore the full-time equivalent used in the calculation may include a decimal place. This figure does not include unsworn Police Service personnel. (iii)Report on Government Services, Vol. 2., Part D Justice, Chapter 7 Police Services, Table 7A.13 Police Staff, by sworn/unsworn status (staff members per 100,000 population), p. 596.
(2) How does the ratio in compare with the police officer to population ratio of other States and Territories? (3) What is the ratio of police officers to offences in Western Australia? (4) How does this ratio compare with the ratio of police officers to offences in other States and Territories? Answered on 6 September 2000 The Minister Replied: (1) 1:386.7 (i, ii) (2) The following are the most recent official National police to population ratios as published in the Report on Government Services 2000(iii) New South Wales 1:476 Victoria 1:488 Queensland 1:495 South Australia 1:431 Tasmania 1:441 Northern Territory 1:217 Western Australia 1:381 Australian Capital Territory 1:465 The ratios are based on 1998-1999 data. (3) The Western Australia Police Service records offence related information in two data systems, the: (i) Personal Apprehension Information System. Essentially, this System contains information about offenders; and (ii) Offence Information System (OIS). This System contains reported and detected offences against the person and property offences. It is from this System that this State's crime statistics are extracted. Offences against public order, such as disorderly conduct, and regulatory type offences, such as offences provided by the Firearms Act, Liquor Licensing Act, Road Traffic Act, and a number of other offences against the statute laws of this State and the Commonwealth are not recorded in the OIS. To determine the total number of discrete offences would require extensive interrogation of the above Systems, and the extrapolation and validation of the data. Providing a response to the Member's question would require the allocation of considerable police resources and time. Accordingly, I am unwilling to commit agency resources to this task. (4) This information is not published at a National level. Statistical Notes (i)The population figures used to calculate the police to population ratio are based on the latest available figures of Estimated Resident Populations as at 30 June, 1999, determined by the Australian Bureau of Statistics. The figures are a "best fit" of police boundaries with Census Collection District boundaries, the smallest spatial unit of the Australian Standard Geographical Classification. The populations relate to usual residents and do not reflect populations influenced by fluctuations in the movement of people associated with entertainment, employment, recreation, shopping and tourism. (ii)Counts of sworn police officers used to calculate the police to population ratio are based on approved average staffing levels (AASL) as at 31 July, 2000. The figures include senior police, police officers, Aboriginal Police Liaison Officers and special constables. Part-time employees are counted as a proportion of a full-time person, therefore the full-time equivalent used in the calculation may include a decimal place. This figure does not include unsworn Police Service personnel. (iii)Report on Government Services, Vol. 2., Part D Justice, Chapter 7 Police Services, Table 7A.13 Police Staff, by sworn/unsworn status (staff members per 100,000 population), p. 596.
(3) What is the ratio of police officers to offences in Western Australia? (4) How does this ratio compare with the ratio of police officers to offences in other States and Territories? Answered on 6 September 2000 The Minister Replied: (1) 1:386.7 (i, ii) (2) The following are the most recent official National police to population ratios as published in the Report on Government Services 2000(iii) New South Wales 1:476 Victoria 1:488 Queensland 1:495 South Australia 1:431 Tasmania 1:441 Northern Territory 1:217 Western Australia 1:381 Australian Capital Territory 1:465 The ratios are based on 1998-1999 data. (3) The Western Australia Police Service records offence related information in two data systems, the: (i) Personal Apprehension Information System. Essentially, this System contains information about offenders; and (ii) Offence Information System (OIS). This System contains reported and detected offences against the person and property offences. It is from this System that this State's crime statistics are extracted. Offences against public order, such as disorderly conduct, and regulatory type offences, such as offences provided by the Firearms Act, Liquor Licensing Act, Road Traffic Act, and a number of other offences against the statute laws of this State and the Commonwealth are not recorded in the OIS. To determine the total number of discrete offences would require extensive interrogation of the above Systems, and the extrapolation and validation of the data. Providing a response to the Member's question would require the allocation of considerable police resources and time. Accordingly, I am unwilling to commit agency resources to this task. (4) This information is not published at a National level. Statistical Notes (i)The population figures used to calculate the police to population ratio are based on the latest available figures of Estimated Resident Populations as at 30 June, 1999, determined by the Australian Bureau of Statistics. The figures are a "best fit" of police boundaries with Census Collection District boundaries, the smallest spatial unit of the Australian Standard Geographical Classification. The populations relate to usual residents and do not reflect populations influenced by fluctuations in the movement of people associated with entertainment, employment, recreation, shopping and tourism. (ii)Counts of sworn police officers used to calculate the police to population ratio are based on approved average staffing levels (AASL) as at 31 July, 2000. The figures include senior police, police officers, Aboriginal Police Liaison Officers and special constables. Part-time employees are counted as a proportion of a full-time person, therefore the full-time equivalent used in the calculation may include a decimal place. This figure does not include unsworn Police Service personnel. (iii)Report on Government Services, Vol. 2., Part D Justice, Chapter 7 Police Services, Table 7A.13 Police Staff, by sworn/unsworn status (staff members per 100,000 population), p. 596.
(4) How does this ratio compare with the ratio of police officers to offences in other States and Territories? Answered on 6 September 2000 The Minister Replied: (1) 1:386.7 (i, ii) (2) The following are the most recent official National police to population ratios as published in the Report on Government Services 2000(iii) New South Wales 1:476 Victoria 1:488 Queensland 1:495 South Australia 1:431 Tasmania 1:441 Northern Territory 1:217 Western Australia 1:381 Australian Capital Territory 1:465 The ratios are based on 1998-1999 data. (3) The Western Australia Police Service records offence related information in two data systems, the: (i) Personal Apprehension Information System. Essentially, this System contains information about offenders; and (ii) Offence Information System (OIS). This System contains reported and detected offences against the person and property offences. It is from this System that this State's crime statistics are extracted. Offences against public order, such as disorderly conduct, and regulatory type offences, such as offences provided by the Firearms Act, Liquor Licensing Act, Road Traffic Act, and a number of other offences against the statute laws of this State and the Commonwealth are not recorded in the OIS. To determine the total number of discrete offences would require extensive interrogation of the above Systems, and the extrapolation and validation of the data. Providing a response to the Member's question would require the allocation of considerable police resources and time. Accordingly, I am unwilling to commit agency resources to this task. (4) This information is not published at a National level. Statistical Notes (i)The population figures used to calculate the police to population ratio are based on the latest available figures of Estimated Resident Populations as at 30 June, 1999, determined by the Australian Bureau of Statistics. The figures are a "best fit" of police boundaries with Census Collection District boundaries, the smallest spatial unit of the Australian Standard Geographical Classification. The populations relate to usual residents and do not reflect populations influenced by fluctuations in the movement of people associated with entertainment, employment, recreation, shopping and tourism. (ii)Counts of sworn police officers used to calculate the police to population ratio are based on approved average staffing levels (AASL) as at 31 July, 2000. The figures include senior police, police officers, Aboriginal Police Liaison Officers and special constables. Part-time employees are counted as a proportion of a full-time person, therefore the full-time equivalent used in the calculation may include a decimal place. This figure does not include unsworn Police Service personnel. (iii)Report on Government Services, Vol. 2., Part D Justice, Chapter 7 Police Services, Table 7A.13 Police Staff, by sworn/unsworn status (staff members per 100,000 population), p. 596.
Answered on 6 September 2000 The Minister Replied: (1) 1:386.7 (i, ii) (2) The following are the most recent official National police to population ratios as published in the Report on Government Services 2000(iii) New South Wales 1:476 Victoria 1:488 Queensland 1:495 South Australia 1:431 Tasmania 1:441 Northern Territory 1:217 Western Australia 1:381 Australian Capital Territory 1:465 The ratios are based on 1998-1999 data. (3) The Western Australia Police Service records offence related information in two data systems, the: (i) Personal Apprehension Information System. Essentially, this System contains information about offenders; and (ii) Offence Information System (OIS). This System contains reported and detected offences against the person and property offences. It is from this System that this State's crime statistics are extracted. Offences against public order, such as disorderly conduct, and regulatory type offences, such as offences provided by the Firearms Act, Liquor Licensing Act, Road Traffic Act, and a number of other offences against the statute laws of this State and the Commonwealth are not recorded in the OIS. To determine the total number of discrete offences would require extensive interrogation of the above Systems, and the extrapolation and validation of the data. Providing a response to the Member's question would require the allocation of considerable police resources and time. Accordingly, I am unwilling to commit agency resources to this task. (4) This information is not published at a National level. Statistical Notes (i)The population figures used to calculate the police to population ratio are based on the latest available figures of Estimated Resident Populations as at 30 June, 1999, determined by the Australian Bureau of Statistics. The figures are a "best fit" of police boundaries with Census Collection District boundaries, the smallest spatial unit of the Australian Standard Geographical Classification. The populations relate to usual residents and do not reflect populations influenced by fluctuations in the movement of people associated with entertainment, employment, recreation, shopping and tourism. (ii)Counts of sworn police officers used to calculate the police to population ratio are based on approved average staffing levels (AASL) as at 31 July, 2000. The figures include senior police, police officers, Aboriginal Police Liaison Officers and special constables. Part-time employees are counted as a proportion of a full-time person, therefore the full-time equivalent used in the calculation may include a decimal place. This figure does not include unsworn Police Service personnel. (iii)Report on Government Services, Vol. 2., Part D Justice, Chapter 7 Police Services, Table 7A.13 Police Staff, by sworn/unsworn status (staff members per 100,000 population), p. 596.
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