Police Stations

Mr GARDNER (Morialta) (15:19): A supplementary, sir: given the minister has asked for context—in the context that the government is closing eight police stations.

The Hon. J.R. RAU (Enfield—Deputy Premier, Attorney-General, Minister for Justice Reform, Minister for Planning, Minister for Housing and Urban Development, Minister for Industrial Relations, Minister for Child Protection Reform) (15:20): Okay, if that is the nature of the question, then my understanding is that—

Members interjecting:

The Hon. J.R. RAU: Well, sometimes you don't know over there. You ask some—

The SPEAKER: I call the Attorney to order.

The Hon. J.R. RAU: As I understand it, the police commissioner is charged with the decisions about how he chooses to deliver policing services to the people of South Australia and, if the police commissioner is confident that by changing the service centres from which he delivers that and by doing it a different way as well or better, I am not in a position to second-guess the police commissioner. I have to say that certainly the current police commissioner—and I have every expectation to believe—

Ms Chapman: The one on the front page of the paper?

The Hon. J.R. RAU: The putative next one—are people who are very concentrated indeed on having a higher presence of police officers on the ground. If anybody has paid attention to what has been going on in the city, particularly around Hindley Street over the last few years, one would have seen a much stronger police presence, and it is no coincidence that that is part and parcel of the improvement in public safety in that precinct. I have every confidence that the police commissioner has the operational capabilities of being able to deliver good policing in the way that the police commissioner believes that can be done.