Police Staffing

The Hon. J.A. DARLEY (14:31): Supplementary: I understand what the minister is saying when he says that South Australia has more police officers per hundred thousand of population than any other state, but does that mean that our key performance indicators are superior to what occurs interstate, or are we playing catch-up?

The Hon. P. MALINAUSKAS (Minister for Police, Minister for Correctional Services, Minister for Emergency Services, Minister for Road Safety) (14:31): I thank the honourable member for his important supplementary question. My advice is that we are very much a nation leader when it comes to the resourcing of SAPOL, whether that be resources regarding front-line police officers or, indeed, resources more broadly around capital requirements that our police force has.

We are doing incredibly well when it comes to other key indicators that demonstrate this government's commitment to community safety. An important one, of course, is crime stats. We have had a reduction in crime throughout the life of this Labor government, and that is something we want to continue to pursue. We think policing or resourcing our police force well is an important component of being able to do that, which is why we remain committed to increasing SAPOL's resources, whether that be through Recruit 313 or other exercises. We remain committed to doing that and that is exactly what we will deliver on.