❓ Mr. Millman asks about the rollout of body-worn cameras for WA Police, and how they will protect police and the community. The Minister details the rollout plan, benefits, and criticises the previous government's inaction.
AnsweredQoN 231Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
POLICE — BODY-WORN
CAMERAS
231. Mr S.A. MILLMAN to the Minister for Police:
I refer to the McGowan Labor
government's commitment to ensuring that the WA Police Force has the
resources it needs to keep our communities safe.
(1) Can the minister update the
house on the rollout of body-worn cameras for frontline police officers?
(2) Can the
minister advise the house how these cameras will provide greater protection to
both police and members of the community?
CAMERAS
231. Mr S.A. MILLMAN to the Minister for Police:
I refer to the McGowan Labor
government's commitment to ensuring that the WA Police Force has the
resources it needs to keep our communities safe.
(1) Can the minister update the
house on the rollout of body-worn cameras for frontline police officers?
(2) Can the
minister advise the house how these cameras will provide greater protection to
both police and members of the community?
AnswerView source ↗
(1)–(2) I thank the member for Mount Lawley for that
question and for his support of our police officers. Body- worn cameras
are something that should have been rolled out in Western Australia some years
ago. Indeed, they have been rolled out in every other Australian jurisdiction.
Unfortunately, although the former government talked about them back in 2016,
it did not put any money for them in the budget and did not actually roll them
out. It left the state $40 billion in debt from spending big on its big
projects, but there was simply no money for body-worn cameras. There was no
plan for delivery and no timetable for delivery of body-worn cameras
whatsoever.
The fact of the matter is our
government takes the safety of our police officers very seriously. We also want
the public to be very confident in their dealings with police officers. From
time to time there are allegations by members of the public, a very small
minority of which are proved to be true. They disappoint me, and they certainly
have an impact on public confidence if an individual police officer does the
wrong thing. We are finding more and more with social media, mobile phones,
tablets and other devices that people are recording some of their interactions
with police officers. Some of that is put before the court and presented in evidence. Those snippets are not necessarily
the full story; they do not necessarily capture the full interaction. I think
it is in the public interest that those full interactions are covered.
We
will be rolling out 4 200 body-worn cameras. The first officers to receive
those body-worn cameras will be in the Perth police district, obviously
covering that central area of Perth and Northbridge where there is a lot
of interaction between police and patrons of nightclubs and other venues. The
traffic enforcement group will simultaneously get that rollout because, again,
those officers in the traffic enforcement group have very regular interaction
with people at their car window when they are pulled over for an offence.
I am pleased to inform the member for
Pilbara that the first rollout of body-worn cameras in the country will be into
the Pilbara region by June, when 200 cameras are expected to be delivered.
These devices will record real-time audio and video. In an Australian first,
our devices will automatically start recording when a pistol is removed from
its holster. I think that is very important and is a safeguard for both the
police officer and anyone who is unfortunately injured as a result of a police
shooting. A police officer will press on the device. They will not record every
incident all of the time. We do not necessarily want a recording every time
police are in attendance. Some of those situations will involve sensitive
matters around the assaults of women and children and the like. Sometimes they
will be of use. Discretion has to be taken into account. If a police officer,
in the heat of the moment, presses the body-worn camera to engage, it will also
automatically upload the previous 30 seconds of footage.
These cameras will provide a significant
safeguard for police officers. Hopefully people will think twice before
assaulting or taking some action against a police officer if they know it is
likely that their actions are being recorded and can be used as evidence in
court. I also hope that this may reduce some court time. When evidence is
produced of somebody actually committing an offence, people are generally more
inclined to plead guilty early, rather than trying to argue the toss in court,
at enormous cost in police time and court time. I am thrilled that our
government is going to deliver 4 200 cameras into the field. We expect all of
the cameras to be delivered by June 2021.
Mr J.R. Quigley :
Congratulations!
The SPEAKER : To you, too,
Attorney General!
question and for his support of our police officers. Body- worn cameras
are something that should have been rolled out in Western Australia some years
ago. Indeed, they have been rolled out in every other Australian jurisdiction.
Unfortunately, although the former government talked about them back in 2016,
it did not put any money for them in the budget and did not actually roll them
out. It left the state $40 billion in debt from spending big on its big
projects, but there was simply no money for body-worn cameras. There was no
plan for delivery and no timetable for delivery of body-worn cameras
whatsoever.
The fact of the matter is our
government takes the safety of our police officers very seriously. We also want
the public to be very confident in their dealings with police officers. From
time to time there are allegations by members of the public, a very small
minority of which are proved to be true. They disappoint me, and they certainly
have an impact on public confidence if an individual police officer does the
wrong thing. We are finding more and more with social media, mobile phones,
tablets and other devices that people are recording some of their interactions
with police officers. Some of that is put before the court and presented in evidence. Those snippets are not necessarily
the full story; they do not necessarily capture the full interaction. I think
it is in the public interest that those full interactions are covered.
We
will be rolling out 4 200 body-worn cameras. The first officers to receive
those body-worn cameras will be in the Perth police district, obviously
covering that central area of Perth and Northbridge where there is a lot
of interaction between police and patrons of nightclubs and other venues. The
traffic enforcement group will simultaneously get that rollout because, again,
those officers in the traffic enforcement group have very regular interaction
with people at their car window when they are pulled over for an offence.
I am pleased to inform the member for
Pilbara that the first rollout of body-worn cameras in the country will be into
the Pilbara region by June, when 200 cameras are expected to be delivered.
These devices will record real-time audio and video. In an Australian first,
our devices will automatically start recording when a pistol is removed from
its holster. I think that is very important and is a safeguard for both the
police officer and anyone who is unfortunately injured as a result of a police
shooting. A police officer will press on the device. They will not record every
incident all of the time. We do not necessarily want a recording every time
police are in attendance. Some of those situations will involve sensitive
matters around the assaults of women and children and the like. Sometimes they
will be of use. Discretion has to be taken into account. If a police officer,
in the heat of the moment, presses the body-worn camera to engage, it will also
automatically upload the previous 30 seconds of footage.
These cameras will provide a significant
safeguard for police officers. Hopefully people will think twice before
assaulting or taking some action against a police officer if they know it is
likely that their actions are being recorded and can be used as evidence in
court. I also hope that this may reduce some court time. When evidence is
produced of somebody actually committing an offence, people are generally more
inclined to plead guilty early, rather than trying to argue the toss in court,
at enormous cost in police time and court time. I am thrilled that our
government is going to deliver 4 200 cameras into the field. We expect all of
the cameras to be delivered by June 2021.
Mr J.R. Quigley :
Congratulations!
The SPEAKER : To you, too,
Attorney General!
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