Salisbury Police Station

The Hon. J.S.L. DAWKINS (14:25): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking the Minister for Police a question regarding the reduction in operating hours of the Salisbury Police Station.

Leave granted.

The Hon. J.S.L. DAWKINS: On the front page of this week's Salisbury edition of the Northern Messenger there is an article entitled 'Mayors slam plans for police stations'. It states that under SAPOL organisational reform program papers that were obtained by journalists, the Salisbury Police Station's hours of operation will be cut to 9am to 5pm Monday to Friday. I should indicate to the council, as someone who has in the past fought to keep the Salisbury Police Station open, and open for a decent amount of time, the current hours are 8.30am to 9.30pm seven days a week.

Her Worship the Mayor of the City of Salisbury, Mrs Gillian Aldridge, said in response to questioning on the matter by the Northern Messenger Salisbury edition:

The Salisbury station is a lifeline in our community and I think to reduce the hours of its operation is absolutely scary...you would think the police would be available all the time to help, but they won't be if they reduce the hours.

In response to the article the minister was quoted as saying it was:

…entirely appropriate that large organisations like SAPOL undertake internal reviews from time to time as they strive for continual improvement.

Given that the City of Salisbury is the second largest local government area, by population, in the state, and that the number of reports of all serious assaults in its police local service area has increased over the last 12 months by 120 to 1,804 compared to the same period last year, my question is: does the minister believe that reducing the hours of operation of the local Salisbury Police Station is, to use his own word, 'appropriate'?

The Hon. P. MALINAUSKAS (Minister for Police, Minister for Correctional Services, Minister for Emergency Services, Minister for Road Safety) (14:27): I thank the honourable member for his question. The Salisbury Police Station, like every police station across the state, is being looked at as part of the organisational review that is being conducted by SAPOL. As I have stated before on the record, and I am happy to repeat again, this government welcomes SAPOL having a good look at itself in terms of trying to establish if there are ways it can improve public service with the additional resources that the government is providing.

The concerns raised by the mayor in the article that the honourable member refers to seem to overlook a simple premise; that is, the object of this review is not in any way to reduce services available to the community but rather to improve them. I am sure the honourable member understands the concept that if someone is sitting behind a desk it means they are not out on the front line, and the police commissioner is reviewing the allocation of resources to improve front-line services.

The suggestion that by somehow fiddling with the hours or potentially reviewing the hours of the front door being open to take administrative reports or other inquiries somehow means that there will not be the availability of police on a 24/7 basis is simply not an accurate reflection of what is taking place, or what would take place in the event that the police commissioner ultimately decides to wind back police station hours. Police will continue to be available on a 24/7 basis, most likely on an improved level of availability.

Having police officers confined to a police station as distinct from having them out on the front line, whether that be in a patrol car or by some other means, makes no sense whatsoever. We want to make sure that we get the balance right. We want to make sure that the police commissioner, I should say, has the flexibility to be able to get the balance right, not only having people available in a police station when the public reasonably needs them but also weighing up the fact that we need police men and women out on the road servicing the community as incidents arise.

We as a government are providing the police commissioner with the flexibility he needs. If the opposition has a different view about that methodology, they should come out and say it. They should come out and say, 'We don't support the police commissioner having a review. We don't support SAPOL being efficient and expeditious. We don't support the fact that the government is supplying SAPOL with additional resources year on year on year and therefore shouldn't be expecting high degrees of service with it.'

We support the police commissioner in conducting an internal review. We look forward to all interested parties playing a role in that consultation process, whether it be individual members of parliament, whether that be the opposition, whether that be the government, whether that be the Police Association or other members of the community. It is a consultation process. We welcome it, we endorse it, and we look forward to the outcome of it. But understand this: the only outcome I am advised that the police commissioner is pursuing in his internal review is to provide a more efficient, more available, more modern service to the South Australian public to ensure that they continue to remain safe.

The PRESIDENT: The Hon. Mr Dawkins has a supplementary question.