❓ Regions—Crime 652. Mr Shane Love to the Premier: Western Australia Police Force statistics show that crime in regional Western Australia has continued to escalate under the Premier's government, with
AnsweredQoN 652Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
Regions—Crime
652. Mr Shane Love to
the Premier:
Western Australia
Police Force statistics show that crime in regional Western Australia has
continued to escalate under the Premier's government, with the number of
offences against the person rising significantly from 872 in 2016–17 to
a staggering 1,986 in 2024–25.
(1) Why has the Premier's government allowed crime
to run rampant in regional Western Australia?
(2) When will his government be able to return to
the much lower levels of crime as were experienced under the previous
government in 2016–17?
652. Mr Shane Love to
the Premier:
Western Australia
Police Force statistics show that crime in regional Western Australia has
continued to escalate under the Premier's government, with the number of
offences against the person rising significantly from 872 in 2016–17 to
a staggering 1,986 in 2024–25.
(1) Why has the Premier's government allowed crime
to run rampant in regional Western Australia?
(2) When will his government be able to return to
the much lower levels of crime as were experienced under the previous
government in 2016–17?
AnswerView source ↗
(1)–(2) I
would like to thank the dedicated officers who act quickly, particularly in
regional Western Australia, to secure community safety. That is why we have
created a series of projects and initiatives to continue to keep regional
Western Australians safe, including the Kimberley Juvenile Justice Strategy, a
coordinated, multiagency, community-led response that addresses the causes of
youth offending. It brings together night patrols, safe spaces, cultural
programs, education and youth engagement, because no single intervention is
enough on its own. Of course, we have Operation Regional Shield, which is an
opportunity to deploy police resources to the places that need them on a demand
basis.
We continue to ensure that our
police are resourced. There are more police on the beat in WA today than ever
before. Over 7,300 officers are keeping our communities safe across WA. I think
Kimberley district Superintendent John Hutchison summed it up best when he
described the opposition attacks on the issues to do with antisocial behaviour
as incorrect.
Mr Adam Hort interjected.
The Speaker: Member for Kalamunda!
Mr Roger Cook: The district superintendent said that the
opposition is incorrect in stating the force is down the equivalent of 26 full-time
employees. He said they are frequently provided additional officers through
Operation Regional Shield as needed.
The district
superintendent went on to say on 14 November:
"We've got more resources every day of the year in the
Kimberley to what we've ever had before, and we've even added to those with
these extra Operation Regional Shield staff," he said.
"The police up here are very well-resourced, very
committed to the job …
Mr Lachlan Hunter interjected.
The Speaker: Member for Central Wheatbelt.
Ms Rita Saffioti interjected.
The Speaker: Treasurer.
Mr Lachlan Hunter interjected.
The Speaker: Member for Central Wheatbelt!
Mr Roger Cook: Our police are resourced as they have
never been resourced before. We have extra police and we have extra capability
to deploy extra police when we see situations requiring to be addressed. As Commissioner
of Police Col Blanch said:
… police are up there, we are
up there in big numbers and we will continue arresting young people for
committing crimes …
would like to thank the dedicated officers who act quickly, particularly in
regional Western Australia, to secure community safety. That is why we have
created a series of projects and initiatives to continue to keep regional
Western Australians safe, including the Kimberley Juvenile Justice Strategy, a
coordinated, multiagency, community-led response that addresses the causes of
youth offending. It brings together night patrols, safe spaces, cultural
programs, education and youth engagement, because no single intervention is
enough on its own. Of course, we have Operation Regional Shield, which is an
opportunity to deploy police resources to the places that need them on a demand
basis.
We continue to ensure that our
police are resourced. There are more police on the beat in WA today than ever
before. Over 7,300 officers are keeping our communities safe across WA. I think
Kimberley district Superintendent John Hutchison summed it up best when he
described the opposition attacks on the issues to do with antisocial behaviour
as incorrect.
Mr Adam Hort interjected.
The Speaker: Member for Kalamunda!
Mr Roger Cook: The district superintendent said that the
opposition is incorrect in stating the force is down the equivalent of 26 full-time
employees. He said they are frequently provided additional officers through
Operation Regional Shield as needed.
The district
superintendent went on to say on 14 November:
"We've got more resources every day of the year in the
Kimberley to what we've ever had before, and we've even added to those with
these extra Operation Regional Shield staff," he said.
"The police up here are very well-resourced, very
committed to the job …
Mr Lachlan Hunter interjected.
The Speaker: Member for Central Wheatbelt.
Ms Rita Saffioti interjected.
The Speaker: Treasurer.
Mr Lachlan Hunter interjected.
The Speaker: Member for Central Wheatbelt!
Mr Roger Cook: Our police are resourced as they have
never been resourced before. We have extra police and we have extra capability
to deploy extra police when we see situations requiring to be addressed. As Commissioner
of Police Col Blanch said:
… police are up there, we are
up there in big numbers and we will continue arresting young people for
committing crimes …
Explore WA Government Data
Search the full archive in the free dashboard, or query programmatically via API.
Explore more
Government Gazette
Appointments, regulatory notices, planning changes.
Hansard
Debates, questions, speeches and sentiment.
Tabled Papers
Reports and documents tabled in Parliament.
Committees
Committee profiles and recent reports.
Regulations
Subsidiary legislation with filters and summaries.
Bills
Proposed laws and parliamentary progress.
Acts
Current WA legislation and summaries.
Explanatory Memoranda
Bills with EMs (text/PDF) available.
Members
MP profiles, party breakdown and rankings.
Pollie Rankings
Data-driven rankings across 19 categories.
Amendment Chains
Track how schemes and regulations evolve over time.