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House of Assembly - Fifty-Fifth Parliament, First Session (55-1)
2023-07-06 Daily Xml
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Question Time

Glenelg Antisocial Behaviour and Violence

Mr PATTERSON (Morphett) (14:15): My question is to the Minister for Police, Emergency Services and Correctional Services. Will the minister increase police presence in Glenelg, especially in and around Jetty Road? With your leave, sir, and that of the house, I will explain.

Leave granted.

Mr PATTERSON: Members of my community have raised concerns with me around the rise in antisocial behaviour and violence this winter in Glenelg, and are worried that the problems we are seeing in the city are making their way down the tramline to Glenelg.

The Hon. J.K. SZAKACS (Cheltenham—Minister for Police, Emergency Services and Correctional Services) (14:16): I can advise the member that the government is taking all of the appropriate advice to ensure that the very significant additional presence that has been deployed into the city by the police commissioner, as announced by the then acting commissioner, is being supported across government. That is just so important so that we are ensuring that we are not putting a bandaid in one place that would open up a wound somewhere else.

I note the member's intervention to support a member of his community down at Glenelg. I am not sure if this has been advised to the member, but I advise that individual was arrested and charged with assault and disorderly behaviour. I believe in addition to that he was charged with resisting police. I can advise that the individual who was charged with that offence has been refused bail.

As for the question regarding additional police resources, I note that there were two hours standalone of police estimates committee this week. That question wasn't asked by the member's counterpart, the member for Flinders. But I can advise, as I have to this house previously—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! The minister has the call.

The Hon. J.K. SZAKACS: —that a basic reading of the Police Act—

The Hon. V.A. Tarzia: It was your opening statement that took up 10 to15 minutes.

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. J.K. SZAKACS: —would show that I don't command a police force in this state; that is the police commissioner who does that. It is appropriate that he does that. It is appropriate that he is charged by law to do that, and it is totally incomprehensible that there would be political interference in that.

What I can advise the member is that the police commissioner advises me that they are monitoring the situation closely in Glenelg and deploying resources.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The minister has the call.

The Hon. J.K. SZAKACS: I am sure that members would like the member to receive this answer. I can advise that the commissioner's advice to me is that a police presence is continuing in Glenelg. Additionally, high visibility foot patrols are being deployed in Glenelg, in response to some of these concerns that have been raised by the member himself, and also through this transit corridor into Glenelg. I can absolutely assure the member that it is not the case that there will be in the whole-of-government approach to antisocial and other behaviour in the city a position where we will be pushing problems elsewhere.

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