❓ Mr. Morton questions the Minister for Police on the implementation of the government's commitment to increase the WA police force by 550 officers. The Minister details the funding allocation for recruitment, training, salaries, and capital works, including a specific mention of the Ballajura Police Station.
AnsweredQoN 380Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
POLICE —
OFFICER NUMBERS
380. MR N.W. MORTON to the Minister for Police:
In the lead-up to the 2013 election, the government made a
commitment to grow the WA police force by an additional 550 officers. Can the
minister please inform the house how that commitment will be implemented?
OFFICER NUMBERS
380. MR N.W. MORTON to the Minister for Police:
In the lead-up to the 2013 election, the government made a
commitment to grow the WA police force by an additional 550 officers. Can the
minister please inform the house how that commitment will be implemented?
AnswerView source ↗
I am very pleased to take this question on this law and order
issue from the member for Forrestfield because I know that policing is a very
important issue in his electorate. In the interests of those wonderful children
in the gallery from Whitford Catholic Primary School, I think this will work
better if I answer a question after it has been asked.
Several members interjected.
Mrs L.M. HARVEY :
They are getting a good lesson on how not to behave.
I was really pleased in the 2013 election campaign to be in
the community talking to people about police numbers. This government has a
very strong record on expanding the size of the police service. We have
committed to a significant growth program over the entire period of the
previous government and indeed a growth program that members will see in
tomorrow's budget will be fully funded.
Ms M.M. Quirk interjected.
The SPEAKER : Member for Girrawheen, I call you to
order for the first time.
Mrs L.M. HARVEY :
Our commitment will be fully funded and costed to ensure that we expand the
size of our police service in this state by a further 550 police and police
auxiliary officers over the next four years. This commitment comprises $215
million, which covers the cost of the marketing campaign to recruit and get
these potential officers' resumes through the door. It will encompass
both the training and the salaries component for the officers, and this will
cover 150 auxiliary officers and 400 police officers.
We have also included in this costing the salaries and training
for 200 additional detectives. Once we have recruited those officers through
the academy, they will backfill positions at stations as the detectives are
trained. They will form local policing crime teams to break the back of volume
crime in our communities.
Mrs M.H. Roberts interjected.
The SPEAKER :
Member for Midland!
Mrs L.M. HARVEY :
This commitment also comes with a capital works program of $67 million to
provide the accommodation for those police officers in our suburban police
stations.
Mrs M.H. Roberts :
What about Ballajura?
Mrs L.M. HARVEY : I
can hear members asking about the Ballajura Police Station. We have already
said that that police station will be funded through the $67 million capital
works program. I was really pleased to give people a sneak preview of a budget
measure for tomorrow's budget that this government —
Ms M.M. Quirk interjected.
The SPEAKER : Member for
Girrawheen, I call you to order for the second time.
Mrs
L.M. HARVEY : Thank you, Mr Speaker.
Ms M.M. Quirk interjected.
The SPEAKER :
Member for Girrawheen, I call you to order for the third time.
Mrs L.M. HARVEY :
Thank you, Mr Speaker. I do enjoy the high interest in the growth program for
our WA Police. These 550 additional police and police auxiliary officers will
complement the additional 500 police and police auxiliary officers we committed
to in the 2008 election campaign.
Mrs M.H. Roberts interjected.
Mrs L.M. HARVEY :
We funded that campaign in the 2009–10 budget.
Mrs M.H. Roberts interjected.
The SPEAKER :
Member for Midland!
Mrs L.M. HARVEY :
We have 100 police officers from that commitment to deliver by June 2014. We
have all the processes in place to ensure that we will achieve that.
Mrs M.H. Roberts interjected.
The SPEAKER : Member for Midland! I call you to order
for the first time. Can you wind this up minister; have you finished?
Mrs L.M. HARVEY : I
have one more thing to say. To ensure that we can meet our commitments for our
growth program we have put additional funding into a marketing campaign and, as
a result of that campaign, our recruitment drive for WA Police has resulted in
an expansion of the number of applications received for positions in the
academy from 70 to 100 per month to 200 per month. We are very well positioned
to achieve the targets we have set for police and we look forward to seeing
that expansion of WA Police and police auxiliary officers through our community
to improve community safety for the people of Western Australia.
issue from the member for Forrestfield because I know that policing is a very
important issue in his electorate. In the interests of those wonderful children
in the gallery from Whitford Catholic Primary School, I think this will work
better if I answer a question after it has been asked.
Several members interjected.
Mrs L.M. HARVEY :
They are getting a good lesson on how not to behave.
I was really pleased in the 2013 election campaign to be in
the community talking to people about police numbers. This government has a
very strong record on expanding the size of the police service. We have
committed to a significant growth program over the entire period of the
previous government and indeed a growth program that members will see in
tomorrow's budget will be fully funded.
Ms M.M. Quirk interjected.
The SPEAKER : Member for Girrawheen, I call you to
order for the first time.
Mrs L.M. HARVEY :
Our commitment will be fully funded and costed to ensure that we expand the
size of our police service in this state by a further 550 police and police
auxiliary officers over the next four years. This commitment comprises $215
million, which covers the cost of the marketing campaign to recruit and get
these potential officers' resumes through the door. It will encompass
both the training and the salaries component for the officers, and this will
cover 150 auxiliary officers and 400 police officers.
We have also included in this costing the salaries and training
for 200 additional detectives. Once we have recruited those officers through
the academy, they will backfill positions at stations as the detectives are
trained. They will form local policing crime teams to break the back of volume
crime in our communities.
Mrs M.H. Roberts interjected.
The SPEAKER :
Member for Midland!
Mrs L.M. HARVEY :
This commitment also comes with a capital works program of $67 million to
provide the accommodation for those police officers in our suburban police
stations.
Mrs M.H. Roberts :
What about Ballajura?
Mrs L.M. HARVEY : I
can hear members asking about the Ballajura Police Station. We have already
said that that police station will be funded through the $67 million capital
works program. I was really pleased to give people a sneak preview of a budget
measure for tomorrow's budget that this government —
Ms M.M. Quirk interjected.
The SPEAKER : Member for
Girrawheen, I call you to order for the second time.
Mrs
L.M. HARVEY : Thank you, Mr Speaker.
Ms M.M. Quirk interjected.
The SPEAKER :
Member for Girrawheen, I call you to order for the third time.
Mrs L.M. HARVEY :
Thank you, Mr Speaker. I do enjoy the high interest in the growth program for
our WA Police. These 550 additional police and police auxiliary officers will
complement the additional 500 police and police auxiliary officers we committed
to in the 2008 election campaign.
Mrs M.H. Roberts interjected.
Mrs L.M. HARVEY :
We funded that campaign in the 2009–10 budget.
Mrs M.H. Roberts interjected.
The SPEAKER :
Member for Midland!
Mrs L.M. HARVEY :
We have 100 police officers from that commitment to deliver by June 2014. We
have all the processes in place to ensure that we will achieve that.
Mrs M.H. Roberts interjected.
The SPEAKER : Member for Midland! I call you to order
for the first time. Can you wind this up minister; have you finished?
Mrs L.M. HARVEY : I
have one more thing to say. To ensure that we can meet our commitments for our
growth program we have put additional funding into a marketing campaign and, as
a result of that campaign, our recruitment drive for WA Police has resulted in
an expansion of the number of applications received for positions in the
academy from 70 to 100 per month to 200 per month. We are very well positioned
to achieve the targets we have set for police and we look forward to seeing
that expansion of WA Police and police auxiliary officers through our community
to improve community safety for the people of Western Australia.
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