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Legislative Council - Fifty-Third Parliament, Second Session (53-2)
2016-03-08 Daily Xml
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Police Staffing

The Hon. T.J. STEPHENS (14:33): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking the Minister for Police a question regarding police civilianisation.

Leave granted.

The Hon. T.J. STEPHENS: We are now aware that the commissioner has approved a strategy for widespread civilianisation of police positions. His latest plan is to delete 57 highly trained and skilled field intelligence officers. This is coupled by the commissioner's plan for a new district policing model based on the Western Australian model introduced in December 2014. That model has been heavily criticised by the Western Australian community as it has, by many accounts, delivered double-digit increases in crime. I would like to briefly quote from a couple of West Australian news articles. The West Australian on 8 February reported:

The Barnett Government's 'tough on crime' strategy has seen the adult prison muster balloon from 4419 in June 2009 to 5804 on January 14, an increase of more than 30 per cent. But the cost of the running the system has grown…70 per cent since the Government was elected.

The same publication on 11 February reported:

WA's top cop has conceded his new policing model is not working as well as it should be in announcing changes to try to get a grip on Perth's spike in crime.

The same publication reported on 16 February that the West Australian commissioner:

…has been under mounting pressure over the metropolitan policing model which has coincided with crime levels between 15 and 20 per cent higher than last year,

My questions are:

1. When was the minister made aware of the latest plan to delete 57 highly trained and skilled field intelligence officers, and how is deleting those 57 value for money when the taxpayer has already expended money training them to that level?

2. Does the minister support the commissioner's position that he would be making these changes, 'even if there weren't budget cuts' (from Leon Byner on 2 March 2016) and why would he, considering the LSA model has been so successful in South Australia?

3. Can the minister explain the differences between the Western Australian Frontline 2020 model and proposed SA district policing models?

The Hon. P. MALINAUSKAS (Minister for Police, Minister for Correctional Services, Minister for Emergency Services, Minister for Road Safety) (14:35): I thank the honourable member for his important questions. Change is something that is inevitable in all facets of life, and I think it is something that should be embraced. Any large organisation that employs in excess of 4,500 people and any organisation that has a budget that is now in excess of $800 million, should not be immune to examining itself to ensure that it is providing the sort of service in a way that South Australians would reasonably expect them to do efficiently and productively.

This means that from time to time, as is appropriate, it is necessary for leaders of such organisations to conduct internal reviews and examine whether or not there are more efficient and productive ways to be able to structure themselves. That is exactly what SAPOL is doing at the moment, and it is for those reasons that this government wholeheartedly supports the effort that is being made by our police commissioner, in whom I have total confidence.

The honourable member cites an example of Western Australia, as to their changes to the way their policing is operated and how that relates to the internal review occurring in South Australia. It is a legitimate question. Western Australia has undertaken substantial change in the way they deliver policing over there, and there have been a number of learnings that have come out of that exercise.

For that reason, it would be entirely appropriate for the Hon. Mr Stephens, or this government or indeed the police commissioner, to pay attention to what is occurring in other jurisdictions and take learnings from it to ensure that any gains or benefits that have occurred through changes in other jurisdictions (including Western Australia) should be applied in South Australia, and seek to avoid any mistakes or mishaps that have occurred in other jurisdictions.

That exercise has been undertaken by our police commissioner. I am advised that our police commissioner has sought to gain information and harvest reports from the Western Australian experience. Indeed, I am also advised that senior leaders within SAPOL have been to Western Australia to see if they can take learnings from the Western Australian experience.

Things that occur in the west (or, for that matter, other jurisdictions) should not within themselves be a reason not to pursue reform in South Australia. What we have to do as a government, as a community and as a parliament is seek to provide confidence to the leadership within SAPOL that they are undertaking a legitimate exercise—one that should be consultative and engage with the community in order to be able to deliver reforms that are appropriate to the South Australian context.

No two police forces are the same in Australia. Every one has a different environment to operate within and every one has different challenges, but all of us have a changing environment that needs to be adapted to, and it is entirely appropriate that the South Australian police force seeks to do the same thing and take learnings from what has occurred interstate.

In respect of the question on civilianisation, which again is a legitimate and important one, this police commissioner and this government remain committed to making sure that we are delivering services in such a way that is efficient and productive to the South Australian taxpayers. The police commissioner is of the mind to examine whether or not there are opportunities to take SAPOL officers out of the 'back end', so to speak, and put them on the front line, and then have a civilian replace that function so that we are using SAPOL officers in the most efficient way possible.

We do not want highly trained, highly skilled, super-equipped police officers to do a function that could otherwise have been done by someone in a civilian capacity. We want those police officers out serving in the community in the way that they were trained to do. Of course, you always have to reach a balance in pursuing that exercise, but we will be a government that supports the police commissioner in making an assessment about what is appropriate to be able to serve the South Australian community. I for one have confidence in this police commissioner, and I hope everyone else in this chamber does too.

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