Question Time

POLICE ATTENDANCE PROCEDURE

Mrs REDMOND (Heysen—Leader of the Opposition) (14:38): My question is to the Premier. If a rock being thrown at night through the window of a house belonging to a woman living alone is not enough to warrant police attendance, then what is?

The Hon. M.J. WRIGHT (Lee—Minister for Police, Minister for Emergency Services, Minister for Recreation, Sport and Racing) (14:38): I am happy to answer the question. Look, I made a serious ministerial statement. I have put to the house all of the information that has been provided to me by the commissioner. That has now been shared with the house.

Obviously, we treat this as a very serious incident. The commissioner has defined it as an error in judgment. The call that was made to—

An honourable member interjecting:

The Hon. M.J. WRIGHT: Well, I don't know what you are laughing about. I wouldn't have thought it's a laughing matter. The call was made to 11444. The person who took the—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. M.J. WRIGHT: Sorry. My apology, the call was made to 131444.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! This is a serious issue and I would like to be able to hear the minister's response. I cannot hear a word.

The Hon. M.J. WRIGHT: The call was made to 131444 and, as the commissioner said yesterday, as a result of the information that was provided to the operator, the operator should have passed that information on to the communications centre, which would have then triggered a police car going off to this particular incident.

Now, the commissioner has defined it as a mistake in judgment. Obviously, I am very sorry that a police car did not attend this incident. Clearly, it should have.