❓ WA Parliamentary Question on Notice regarding firearm control, storage, mental health assessments for police, and details on firearm-related deaths in 2022. The response provides data on licenses, inspections, procedures, and officer mental health.
AnsweredQoN 1227Legislative Council
QuestionView source ↗
(1) I refer to the control of firearms in Western Australia and I ask: (a) how many firearms licenses are issued currently in Western Australia; (b) how many firearms are registered to licensed firearm holders; (c) for the following years how many firearm storage inspections did WA Police conduct: (i) 2022; (ii) 2021; (iii) 2020; (iv) 2019; and (v) 2018; (d) in 2022, how many licensed firearm holders, amended the storage location of firearms with WA Police; (e) of those identified in (d), how many were subsequently inspected by WA Police to ensure compliance with storage requirements; (f) what procedure is enacted by WA Police when a licensed firearm holder dies to recover and store registered firearms; (g) are WA Police officers and Police Auxillary Officers subject to regular mental health assessments; (h) if yes to (g), how frequent are these assessments and who conducts such assessments; and (i) if yes to (g), how many officers have not passed a mental health assessment in 2022? (2) I refer to your media statement of 5 February 2023 which claims that 20 people were shot dead in Western Australia in 2022, and I ask of those identified in the statement, what proportion were by a: (a) registered firearm by an licensed firearm holder; (b) registered firearm by an unlicensed firearm holder; (c) unregistered firearm by an unlicensed firearm holder; (d) a Police firearm; and (e) other (please detail circumstance)?
AnswerView source ↗
Answered
14 March 2023
Responded by
Minister for Emergency Services representing the Minister for Police
Response time
6 days
The Western Australia Police Force advise:
(1) (a) 88,343 as at 1 February 2023. (b) 358,951 as at 1 February 2023.
(c) (i) 9,334; (ii) 8,198; (iii) 7,430; (iv) 6,742; (v) 6,893
(d) 9,334.
(e) 9,334.
(f) The WA Police Force is guided in this manner by its Deceased Estates policy. Temporary Permits are issued to persons deemed suitable (fit and proper) to allow for the firearms to be conveyed to a licensed firearm dealer for disposal or remain with the same suitable person pending a firearms application to be lodged and assessed a view to the firearms/s being sold/gifted to that person.
(g) – (h) Officers deployed into high-risk work area where risk and trauma exposure is deemed to be at a higher frequency and/or intensity compared to the baseline inherent risk within policing are are subject to a 'Pre-Deployment (psychological) Assessment' as part of the application process for the position. In addition to pre-deployment (psychological) assessments and wellbeing reviews for high risk work areas, additional mental health assessments may be provided for police officers and PAOs in response to critical incidents, large and complex operations, workplace dynamics, or at the request of a workplace.
Further, all recruit applicants undergo an initial ‘Pre-Deployment (psychological) Assessment’ to determine suitability to the role of police officer. Applicants are also required to declare any mental health (previous and current) during the recruitment process, which is reviewed by a medical practitioner and the WA Police Force physicians/psychiatrist. Any psychological risk factors identified during the recruitment process are reviewed further.
Wellbeing reviews occur annually however, the additional mental health assessments outlined may result in police officers receiving mental health assessments, a number of times in the year.
(i) Approximately 5%.
(2) (a) 8 (b) 4 (c) 6 (d) 0 (e) 2 unlicensed firearm holder, unable to ascertain if the firearm utilised in the offence was registered or not, as the firearm has not been located.
(1) (a) 88,343 as at 1 February 2023. (b) 358,951 as at 1 February 2023.
(c) (i) 9,334; (ii) 8,198; (iii) 7,430; (iv) 6,742; (v) 6,893
(d) 9,334.
(e) 9,334.
(f) The WA Police Force is guided in this manner by its Deceased Estates policy. Temporary Permits are issued to persons deemed suitable (fit and proper) to allow for the firearms to be conveyed to a licensed firearm dealer for disposal or remain with the same suitable person pending a firearms application to be lodged and assessed a view to the firearms/s being sold/gifted to that person.
(g) – (h) Officers deployed into high-risk work area where risk and trauma exposure is deemed to be at a higher frequency and/or intensity compared to the baseline inherent risk within policing are are subject to a 'Pre-Deployment (psychological) Assessment' as part of the application process for the position. In addition to pre-deployment (psychological) assessments and wellbeing reviews for high risk work areas, additional mental health assessments may be provided for police officers and PAOs in response to critical incidents, large and complex operations, workplace dynamics, or at the request of a workplace.
Further, all recruit applicants undergo an initial ‘Pre-Deployment (psychological) Assessment’ to determine suitability to the role of police officer. Applicants are also required to declare any mental health (previous and current) during the recruitment process, which is reviewed by a medical practitioner and the WA Police Force physicians/psychiatrist. Any psychological risk factors identified during the recruitment process are reviewed further.
Wellbeing reviews occur annually however, the additional mental health assessments outlined may result in police officers receiving mental health assessments, a number of times in the year.
(i) Approximately 5%.
(2) (a) 8 (b) 4 (c) 6 (d) 0 (e) 2 unlicensed firearm holder, unable to ascertain if the firearm utilised in the offence was registered or not, as the firearm has not been located.
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.