Golden Grove Police Station

Mr KNOLL (Schubert) (15:12): My question is to the Minister for Police. Does the minister stand by comments made by the previous minister for police in the north-eastern Messenger of 23 August that, in relation to the Golden Grove Police Station, reduced opening hours allowed for a sergeant and six officers to be out on the beat?

The Hon. C.J. PICTON (Kaurna—Minister for Police, Minister for Correctional Services, Minister for Emergency Services, Minister for Road Safety, Minister Assisting the Minister for Health, Minister Assisting the Minister for Mental Health and Substance Abuse) (15:12): I thank the member for his question. In terms of the specific comments, I will have to examine the details in regard to the Golden Grove Police Station in detail, but I remind the member of what I said yesterday in relation to a number of these questions. Firstly, that this is a process that is underway from the police commissioner himself, who has oversight and operational control of SA Police, and that the intention of it is to ensure we have a modern, well-resourced and well-deployed police force in this state, one that is best able to respond to the needs of our modern state.

This is something in which we do not seek to intervene, in terms of detailed operations of the work of the police commissioner. Sadly that is not everyone's viewpoint, and there are some plans from those opposite to issue directions as to how the police commissioner would operate, whether that is sending drug dogs into schools or the like. We support the police commissioner's work—

Mr KNOLL: Point of order: the minister is not answering the substance of the question, which related specifically to the Golden Grove Police Station.

The SPEAKER: I uphold the point of order.

The Hon. C.J. PICTON: We support the police commissioner's work to ensure that as we recruit extra police, and we are deploying hundreds of extra police across South Australia to ensure there is the best possible response—

The Hon. J.M. Rankine interjecting:

The SPEAKER: I call to order the member for Wright.

The Hon. C.J. PICTON: —to the operational and policing needs of our state—

Ms CHAPMAN: Point of order: the minister has already indicated that he will get an answer and come back to the house on the question.

The SPEAKER: Does the minister have anything more germane to the question?

The Hon. C.J. PICTON: I would just summarise by saying that we support the operational reforms that are about delivering extra police on the beat and supporting our community.