House of Assembly - Fifty-Fifth Parliament, First Session (55-1)
2023-06-27 Daily Xml

Contents

CBD Crime and Antisocial Behaviour

Mr TELFER (Flinders) (14:49): My question is again to the Minister for Police. Have additional police officers been allocated to the CBD and, if so, what is the cost and operational impact on SA Police? With your leave, sir, and that of the house, I will explain.

Leave granted.

Mr TELFER: Hours after the government dismissed recent concerns about antisocial behaviour and crime, it was reported that new resources were committed to dealing with this.

The Hon. J.K. SZAKACS (Cheltenham—Minister for Police, Emergency Services and Correctional Services) (14:50): The additional police resources into our CBD have been scaled since late last year, late 2022. The member may be referring to the escalation of Operation Paragon resources that has been recently announced by the government. As for the total cost of that, I can't advise, and that will simply be because the costs will be borne as a real cost. It has been a response from the acting police commissioner to me in that resources are not an issue.

The very clear message that I, as minister, gave to the police was: 'Leave no stone unturned and leave no resourcing question unresolved to support our community in this endeavour.' The costs of this will be material. We won't know the costs until, of course, budgets are reported, or in the financial year next year, but the reality is that resourcing is not an issue. Cost is not an issue. The only priority of our government is to ensure that our police are supported in their endeavours on the front line.