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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. R.I. LUCAS (14:41): I have a supplementary question arising from the original answer. Is the minister guaranteeing that, as a result of any possible civilianisation, there will be no net reduction in sworn police officers within the police force?

The Hon. P. MALINAUSKAS (Minister for Police, Minister for Correctional Services, Minister for Emergency Services, Minister for Road Safety) (14:41): The honourable member asks a legitimate question, but an odd one in light of the fact that I have already made clear what this government's position is in regard to police officers. We are a government that has continually increased the number of sworn officers serving our community. I cannot be clearer about this: this government has increased the police budget, this government has increased the number of sworn officers, this government has increased the wages of those people who are sworn officers and this government will continue to increase the number of sworn police officers. I do not think I can be any clearer than that.

The South Australian community should be supportive—indeed the opposition and the government should be supportive—of the police commissioner undertaking an important exercise in ensuring that, with all those additional resources this government has provided them, they are also increasing the service to the South Australian people in terms of keeping them safe. I am confident that the police commissioner is committed to doing that and I am also confident that this government will be behind him in undertaking that important exercise, including the consultation phase of the exercise, which is being undertaken at the moment.

If members opposite have concerns around the fact that the police commissioner is undertaking an organisational review, if members opposite think that SAPOL should be immune to any change in what is a very dynamic and changing world, then they should come out and say it. Anything short of it, we should be doing everything we can as a government to increase the resources available to police and then making sure they deliver those resources efficiently and productively.

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