Tuesday, 31 October 2023

Police numbers

Trung LUU (Western Metropolitan) (17:29): (548) On a brighter note, my adjournment is for the Minister for Police, and the action I seek is for the minister to explore and implement a strategy to retain experienced police officers. At a time when youth crime is running rampant, criminal gangs are shooting each other in the street and the thin blue line is getting thinner by the day, we need not only more police officers but also to retain experienced police officers. However, what we have been seeing is a high number of police officers leaving the police force in recent years.

A recent report states that 20 per cent of police officers are thinking of leaving the force next year. Staff shortages are now reaching crisis level. Police stations are having to close or limit their hours because there are not enough police officers to operate the stations. Still the government are thinking of closing down regional one-man police stations. The government says it is on a recruitment drive, but the reality is that the replacement numbers do not meet the needs. The minister needs to address the problem of experienced police officers wanting to exit the job. Morale is already at a low, and it is only getting lower with new government policies coming into effect – policies like the bail law, where we see criminals again and again back on the street after being charged with multiple offences; policies like raising the age of criminal responsibility – these remove police powers and make police powerless to deal with dangerous and troubled youth; and policies like that for public drunkenness, which will come into effect in coming days and yet the sobering centre is not ready to take anyone. These policies will increase the workload and increase stress while inching back morale. The minister must act now and address the problem to ensure the retention of experienced police officers.