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House of Assembly - Fifty-First Parliament, Third Session (51-3)
2009-11-17 Daily Xml
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TASERS

The Hon. M.J. WRIGHT (Lee—Minister for Police, Minister for Emergency Services, Minister for Recreation, Sport and Racing) (14:15): I seek leave to make a ministerial statement.

Leave granted.

The Hon. M.J. WRIGHT: In the past decade, police in Australia have largely limited access to electronic control devices (commonly known as Tasers) to highly trained elite response officers. South Australia has been no different, with STAR Group officers utilising these devices for high-risk situations for several years. The police inform me that these devices are a less than lethal option which can be used by them to subdue dangerous offenders and resolve volatile situations. But whether or not the police have access to weapons is an operational matter. It is not a decision to be made by this government.

As everyone in this house would understand, decisions about police operational matters are for the police to decide. These are not decisions to be made by politicians. While this government is in power, there will be no political interference in how the police conduct their operations. However, the government's responsibility is to make sure that the police are provided with the resources they need to equip themselves to fight crime and to keep the public and themselves safe.

I can announce today that, following a six month trial and at the request of the Commissioner of Police, the state government will provide $2.4 million to purchase 300 additional electronic control devices or Tasers. The funding will see SAPOL extend the provision of Tasers to all police patrols and increase the range of tactical options available to front-line officers, thereby increasing their capacity to deal with high-risk situations which they believe will be safer and more effective.

The implementation will be conducted in a staged approach that will include a public request for tender process, order and delivery and training for more than 2,500 SAPOL officers. I am told that the training course of eight hours will provide SAPOL officers with the necessary skills required to safely deploy the device. Unlike opposition members who criticise the Commissioner of Police—

Mr WILLIAMS: Mr Speaker, I rise on a point of order. I believe the minister is now debating.

The SPEAKER: Debate is applicable in question time, not in ministerial statements and, in any case, I do not know how the minister could be debating. The Minister for Police.

The Hon. M.J. WRIGHT: Thank you, sir. Unlike opposition members who criticise the Commissioner of Police over his choice of semiautomatic handguns, we have full trust in the judgment of the Commissioner of Police in this matter. Just as with the introduction of semiautomatic handguns, the commissioner has chosen a measured approach to the deployment of Tasers. He has done this, I am informed, to ensure that the use of the devices is fully justified and to limit the risk of misuse.

The extensive six month field trial was under the direct sponsorship of the Deputy Commissioner of Police and saw Christies Beach, Elizabeth and Port Augusta patrols allocated two units each. These devices will remain in the identified locations with an interim expansion to patrols based at Adelaide, Port Adelaide, Holden Hill, Netley and Mount Gambier to commence in December 2009 and be completed by January 2010. The trial has shown that, under specific deployment and usage criteria, electronic control devices are an effective policing tool dealing with high-risk situations such as where a person is armed with a weapon.

Today's announcement provides our front-line police with another option that may, in some circumstances, avoid the need to resort to lethal force. The public can be assured that the deployment of these devices will be governed by strict SAPOL guidelines and procedures. As part of the trial, stringent guidelines have been established that outline the manner in which these devices are to be used. During the trial, SAPOL has assessed other police jurisdictions' policies and has undertaken an extensive national and international research of reviews and findings to ensure the most contemporary operating guidelines are implemented.

These devices will only be deployed where officers are facing violence or threats of violence of such severity that they would need to use force to protect the public, themselves and/or the subjects of their action. Every time an electronic control device is used, the footage from the inbuilt camera will be reviewed by senior police to make sure our officers are using these weapons to best practice.

At this stage the use of electronic control devices will be confined to high risk situations where a person is armed with a weapon. The devices will be carried in patrol vehicles until their use is needed. A broadening of the criteria for allocation, including personal use, will be considered in the future, dependent upon the satisfactory use of the devices. I am confident that the strict guidelines and the training put in place by the Commissioner of Police will see these devices greatly improve the safety of our officers.

Community safety continues to be a key priority of this government. That is why we now have the largest police force in the state's history and that is why we have provided record levels of resources, with over $661 million allocated to SAPOL's operations in this year's budget. The government's commitment to our police is in stark contrast to the failures of the previous Liberal government, which allowed police numbers in this state to fall to appalling lows. This government has pledged to back our police as part of our commitment to deliver safer communities for all South Australians. This is further evidence that we are delivering on that pledge.

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