❓ Question regarding the Minister's alignment with the Police Commissioner's views on a Corruption and Crime Commission report concerning the East Perth Watch House. The Minister's response focuses on improvements made since the incident.
AnsweredQoN 647Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
CORRUPTION AND CRIME COMMISSION REPORT —
EAST PERTH WATCH HOUSE
647. Mrs M.H. ROBERTS to the Minister for
Police:
I have a supplementary question. It
has certainly been reported in the media that the police commissioner does not
agree with the findings, so is the minister at odds with the commissioner or
does she agree with what he is saying?
EAST PERTH WATCH HOUSE
647. Mrs M.H. ROBERTS to the Minister for
Police:
I have a supplementary question. It
has certainly been reported in the media that the police commissioner does not
agree with the findings, so is the minister at odds with the commissioner or
does she agree with what he is saying?
AnswerView source ↗
When we have a look at this report,
we see that the incident happened in April 2013 in the old watch house. I do
not know whether anyone has ever been to the old East Perth watch house, but it
was an appalling facility. It does not surprise me that this report highlights
that there were significant cultural issues and disciplinary issues within the
old East Perth watch house.
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER :
Members!
Mrs
L.M. HARVEY : This is a really serious issue and I think that the house
would really like to understand what has happened since April 2013.
Ms
M.M. Quirk interjected.
The
SPEAKER : Member for Girrawheen!
Mrs
L.M. HARVEY : This government invested $93 million in the new Northbridge
police complex, complete with a new watch house ––
Point of Order
Mrs M.H. ROBERTS : I have simply
asked by way of a supplementary question—which has to be about a single
item, as you know, Mr Speaker—whether the minister agrees with the
police commissioner. I do not think it is appropriate that we get the whole
history of the Perth watch house, which was initiated by the Labor government.
The SPEAKER : Can you address
that supplementary question, please.
Questions without Notice Resumed
Mrs
L.M. HARVEY : I am going by way of background information to explain my
position on this report. Obviously, at the point the section 42 notice is
issued by the Corruption and Crime Commission, police are no longer allowed to
investigate an incident. It has been two years since this incident. In that
two-year period there has been some contact between the police and the CCC.
There has also been the move from that horrible, old East Perth watch house
into the brand-new watch house, which is actually equipped with the environment
and the standards that we would expect our auxiliary officers to work in and
for alleged offenders to be managed in. As a result of that contact and the
switch to the new facility, there has been a significant change in the policies
and procedures and there has been a significant change to the training given to
the police auxiliary officers managing people in that watch house.
In addition to that, we have
authorised the purchase of scanning equipment. Offenders will soon be able to
be scanned in the watch house instead of strip searched to determine whether
they might have a weapon concealed on their bodies. The scanners will identify
whether people then need to move to a strip search, so that will basically
negate the need for a wide range of people coming into police custody to be
strip searched. The scanners will identify those with whom that further action
needs to be taken. In addition to that, with our Criminal Code infringement
notices legislation, this kind of matter, disorderly conduct, would have resulted
in an infringement being issued. These sorts of incidents with these kinds of
offences would be dealt with by way of infringement notice and they would not
necessitate an offender being held in the watch house.
we see that the incident happened in April 2013 in the old watch house. I do
not know whether anyone has ever been to the old East Perth watch house, but it
was an appalling facility. It does not surprise me that this report highlights
that there were significant cultural issues and disciplinary issues within the
old East Perth watch house.
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER :
Members!
Mrs
L.M. HARVEY : This is a really serious issue and I think that the house
would really like to understand what has happened since April 2013.
Ms
M.M. Quirk interjected.
The
SPEAKER : Member for Girrawheen!
Mrs
L.M. HARVEY : This government invested $93 million in the new Northbridge
police complex, complete with a new watch house ––
Point of Order
Mrs M.H. ROBERTS : I have simply
asked by way of a supplementary question—which has to be about a single
item, as you know, Mr Speaker—whether the minister agrees with the
police commissioner. I do not think it is appropriate that we get the whole
history of the Perth watch house, which was initiated by the Labor government.
The SPEAKER : Can you address
that supplementary question, please.
Questions without Notice Resumed
Mrs
L.M. HARVEY : I am going by way of background information to explain my
position on this report. Obviously, at the point the section 42 notice is
issued by the Corruption and Crime Commission, police are no longer allowed to
investigate an incident. It has been two years since this incident. In that
two-year period there has been some contact between the police and the CCC.
There has also been the move from that horrible, old East Perth watch house
into the brand-new watch house, which is actually equipped with the environment
and the standards that we would expect our auxiliary officers to work in and
for alleged offenders to be managed in. As a result of that contact and the
switch to the new facility, there has been a significant change in the policies
and procedures and there has been a significant change to the training given to
the police auxiliary officers managing people in that watch house.
In addition to that, we have
authorised the purchase of scanning equipment. Offenders will soon be able to
be scanned in the watch house instead of strip searched to determine whether
they might have a weapon concealed on their bodies. The scanners will identify
whether people then need to move to a strip search, so that will basically
negate the need for a wide range of people coming into police custody to be
strip searched. The scanners will identify those with whom that further action
needs to be taken. In addition to that, with our Criminal Code infringement
notices legislation, this kind of matter, disorderly conduct, would have resulted
in an infringement being issued. These sorts of incidents with these kinds of
offences would be dealt with by way of infringement notice and they would not
necessitate an offender being held in the watch house.
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