South Australia Police

Mr TELFER (Flinders) (14:31): My question is to the Minister for Police. Has the government received a request from South Australia Police for additional resources to increase their capacity to respond to requests for assistance, including domestic violence incidents? With your leave, sir, and that of the house, I will explain.

Leave granted.

Mr TELFER: On radio this morning, the police commissioner indicated that requests have been made to the Premier stating:

The…demand on police resources is growing exponentially…it's resources, it's money, it’s legislation, it's enhanced capability from public policy to work more closely with other agencies.

The Hon. D.R. CREGAN (Kavel—Minister for Police, Emergency Services and Correctional Services, Special Minister of State) (14:31): I thank the member for Flinders, the shadow member, for his question. It is right to say that police are in communication with government, as you would expect, in relation to all of their needs, not just the needs arising in relation to the policing activities to respond to domestic violence incidents.

It is also right to say that this state is in the business of recruiting additional police officers. Let me emphasise this point before I turn to other measures that are necessary to ensure that our response collectively, not just the response from South Australia Police to domestic violence, is adequate, is at the level that our community expects and is directed at ensuring that the scourge of domestic violence that we see in our community is actively responded to and that it's a whole-of-government response, and that it goes beyond a reactive response, which regrettably, of course, has been a criticism of many governments over many years, not just in this state.

I indicated yesterday to the house that there was a particular low point in terms of recruiting police officers—122 officers were recruited in that year. That has put us in a difficult position but this government is making every effort to ensure that police resources are appropriate. I want to add this: yesterday we discussed, of course, the establishment figure for SA Police. We discussed as well the figure that represents the number of police officers available in this state to ensure that we are policing not just domestic violence incidents but also every other incident that it's required that we expect our police officers to respond to.

Good progress is being made in relation to that recruitment task. Presently, the objective is to recruit about 312 officers, and we have 207 that have been recruited so far. Some $12 million is being invested in that program, and $81 million to ensure that additional police security officers are recruited. This is relevant because the base expectation in our community is that we have sufficient police officers to ensure that we can respond to domestic violence incidents and to every other policing priority that must be responded to.

Mr Telfer: It's resources, it's legislation, it's enhanced capabilities.

The Hon. D.R. CREGAN: Indeed, it is, and, in relation to those matters, this government has of course taken a leading role. The Premier has indicated that the domestic, family and sexual violence royal commission will be led by, of course, a former Senator with great experience and ongoing passion and commitment to these issues. That is important. What is also important is the steps that were taken in this house this week to ensure that police have additional legislative tools to respond to domestic violence, and I want to emphasise two matters. The first are changes directed at intervention orders. This matters a great deal practically.

Members interjecting:

The Hon. D.R. CREGAN: It matters a great deal practically, and this change is a useful tool. As matters stood, the law that was left to this government meant that there were eight days that could operate after police issued an intervention order. Once this law is proclaimed, it will be 12 months. Now, you can well imagine all of the work of additional agencies that can now be directed to ensuring that victims of domestic violence have that additional support, protected by an intervention order. As well, as the Premier has indicated, additional monitoring and other additional steps will be taken.

The Hon. V.A. Tarzia interjecting:

The Hon. D.R. CREGAN: You're really going to interject on this one, are you? This is so serious that you are going to treat this as some kind of a spectacle.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Minister, resume your seat. The time is up. Member for Flinders.