Question Time

POLICE ATTENDANCE PROCEDURE

The Hon. D.W. RIDGWAY (Leader of the Opposition) (14:22): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking the Minister for Urban Development and Planning, representing the Minister for Police, a question in relation to the murder at Callington.

Leave granted.

The Hon. D.W. RIDGWAY: As members would be well aware, on the weekend a woman was bashed to death inside her home at Callington. At the time of calling the 131444 number, a glass pane on her back door had been smashed, but there was supposedly no offender on the property. The call taker made the decision to take an incident report, but did not pass the call on to the communications centre of SAPOL for possible dispatch. Some time later her body was found in the home.

I have since spoken to an employee within SAPOL communications branch. I am told that there is an unwritten policy that a patrol will not be dispatched unless an offender is on the property of the caller. I am told that there is no written policy which states the circumstances in which the details of the call should be passed on to a supervisor. I am informed that these two points have led to a mentality in call centres where the call taker will usually not bother passing on the details of a call unless an offender is allegedly present. My questions to the minister are:

1. Is there a policy that generally outlines the circumstances in which a caller in the SAPOL communications branch should relay the details of the call to their supervisor?

2. Is there a policy, written or otherwise, which states that dispatch will occur only if an offender is present on the caller's property?

3. How can a caller be aware of the proximity of an offender in circumstances such as it being 12.35am, being dark outside her house, with the caller inside the home unable to observe the property externally, such as was the case with this tragic event in Callington?

The Hon. P. HOLLOWAY (Minister for Mineral Resources Development, Minister for Urban Development and Planning, Minister for Industrial Relations, Minister Assisting the Premier in Public Sector Management) (14:24): I just tabled a ministerial statement from the Minister for Police in relation to those events. Perhaps I should just, for the benefit of the council, read it out. It is a relatively brief statement, but it does indicate what action the government is taking in relation to that, and I think we should await that before we further speculate. For the benefit of the council, I will read the statement:

Madam Speaker, yesterday I advised the house that a comprehensive review would be conducted into a call to the 131 444 police assistance line on September 11, when Ms Pirjo Kemppainen reported a rock throwing incident at her house in Callington. The call centre operator took a police incident report but did not refer the matter to the Police Communications Branch. I am advised that the Commissioner of Police has declared this matter a significant incident investigation; consequently, an investigation will be conducted to:

examine the handling of this matter at the call centre, including action taken in response to the call;

review the relevant standard operating procedures, level of training and supervision for call centre operators; and

advise on (i) deficiencies in the manner in which the call was handled; (ii) any matter which may have contributed to the way the call was handled; (iii) whether any changes to policy and procedures, training, supervision or any other matter, are needed.

The Commissioner of Police has also requested Ms Sarah Bolt, head of the Police Complaints Authority, to independently review the conduct of the investigation, and its conclusions and recommendations. The independent Police Complaints Authority has agreed to the Commissioner's request. The Commissioner has acknowledged that police should have attended at Callington. It is now important that SAPOL immediately assess its internal processes and ensures all staff have a clear understanding of their responsibilities when receiving a call that may impact upon the safety of a person. The police investigation, and its outcomes, will be independently reviewed. It is expected the investigation will be completed within a short period.

I think the relevant part of that statement by the minister is that an investigation will be conducted to review the relevant standard operating procedures and the handling of the matter. We would all be advised to await the outcome of that report which, as the minister says, is expected to be completed within a short period of time; and then, if there are any lessons that come from that or if there are deficiencies in the procedures, I am sure that all will be revealed in the outcome of this investigation.