❓ Mr. Hort questions the Minister for Police about a reported decrease in police headcount and a rise in violent crime. The Minister refutes the claims, stating that police numbers have increased year on year and that resignations have decreased.
AnsweredQoN 173Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
Police—Staff
173. Mr Adam Hort to
the Minister for Police:
Can the minister
confirm that in his time as minister, the Western Australia Police Force total
headcount has fallen by 19, and can the minister confirm that violent crime is
now the highest on record?
173. Mr Adam Hort to
the Minister for Police:
Can the minister
confirm that in his time as minister, the Western Australia Police Force total
headcount has fallen by 19, and can the minister confirm that violent crime is
now the highest on record?
AnswerView source ↗
I very much welcome
the question from the member for Kalamunda. Again, he has the habit, as do
members on the other side, of being very loose with the truth. What I can
confirm is that the member is wrong, as he often is in this place. I can
confirm that year on year—I am not going to cherrypick certain odd
dates that the member might be inclined to—
Mr Adam Hort interjected.
Mr Reece Whitby: The member can cherrypick as much as
he likes, but these are the facts.
Year on year,
including the last 12 months, the number of police in this state—the
actual FTE—has increased. It has increased year on year. There was no
decline in the last 12 months and there has been no other decline in the
previous—
Mr Adam Hort interjected.
The Speaker: Member for Kalamunda, you asked the
question. Listen to the response and then you will get to ask a supplementary.
Mr Reece Whitby: We have more police than we have ever
had before, and it continues to increase every year. The member opposite had
another comment in his misleading press statement today that said there were a
rising number of resignations in the WA Police Force. It was mentioned twice in
the member's statement. That is untrue, member. It is not true, member. It is
not true. These are just blatant, misleading—there is misleading information
being proffered to the community. Yes, I almost said it! I almost got there.
But it is just plainly not true, members. I have the figures here for police
resignations. We have had a substantial decline in the last couple of years,
and in the current financial year to date—there are a few more months
to go before the financial year closes—it is sitting at half the number
of resignations as the previous year.
Mr Basil Zempilas interjected.
Mr Reece Whitby: I will get to that, member, because
you said—
Several members
interjected.
The Speaker: Members!
Mr Reece Whitby: The opposition is so loose with the
truth. That is a clear sign that it cannot be trusted. What sort of a
government would it be if it ever had the opportunity to get into power?
Several members
interjected.
The Speaker: Members of the opposition, you are
putting your supplementary question in jeopardy by your continuous
interjections. Please stop.
Mr Reece Whitby: I was asked some pretty direct
questions, so I am giving some pretty direct answers.
The press statement,
again, said "rising resignations" twice. I have demonstrated that the
number of resignations is actually falling quite dramatically. There were 328
in 2024–25 and 170 this year to date, with a couple of months to go,
but it looks like a very big decline in the number of resignations.
There is the matter
of medical retirements. Yes, we have had some increase in medical retirements.
Why do we have that? It is because the police union asked for officers to be
medically retired. These are officers, members, who do not go on the front line.
In fact, they do not go to work. It is better for them to be medically retired
and off the government books. Yes, their numbers are off the books and it represents
a decline in overall numbers, but they are medically retired. These are
officers who want to move on with their lives. They are not going to work. They
are not being taken away from the front line. They are being medically retired
because the WA police union asked for them to be medically retired. We
responded, and they have been. Resignations are about half the number they were
last year, and the number of police continues to grow year on year. That is the
reality. The member's statement today was utterly misleading.
the question from the member for Kalamunda. Again, he has the habit, as do
members on the other side, of being very loose with the truth. What I can
confirm is that the member is wrong, as he often is in this place. I can
confirm that year on year—I am not going to cherrypick certain odd
dates that the member might be inclined to—
Mr Adam Hort interjected.
Mr Reece Whitby: The member can cherrypick as much as
he likes, but these are the facts.
Year on year,
including the last 12 months, the number of police in this state—the
actual FTE—has increased. It has increased year on year. There was no
decline in the last 12 months and there has been no other decline in the
previous—
Mr Adam Hort interjected.
The Speaker: Member for Kalamunda, you asked the
question. Listen to the response and then you will get to ask a supplementary.
Mr Reece Whitby: We have more police than we have ever
had before, and it continues to increase every year. The member opposite had
another comment in his misleading press statement today that said there were a
rising number of resignations in the WA Police Force. It was mentioned twice in
the member's statement. That is untrue, member. It is not true, member. It is
not true. These are just blatant, misleading—there is misleading information
being proffered to the community. Yes, I almost said it! I almost got there.
But it is just plainly not true, members. I have the figures here for police
resignations. We have had a substantial decline in the last couple of years,
and in the current financial year to date—there are a few more months
to go before the financial year closes—it is sitting at half the number
of resignations as the previous year.
Mr Basil Zempilas interjected.
Mr Reece Whitby: I will get to that, member, because
you said—
Several members
interjected.
The Speaker: Members!
Mr Reece Whitby: The opposition is so loose with the
truth. That is a clear sign that it cannot be trusted. What sort of a
government would it be if it ever had the opportunity to get into power?
Several members
interjected.
The Speaker: Members of the opposition, you are
putting your supplementary question in jeopardy by your continuous
interjections. Please stop.
Mr Reece Whitby: I was asked some pretty direct
questions, so I am giving some pretty direct answers.
The press statement,
again, said "rising resignations" twice. I have demonstrated that the
number of resignations is actually falling quite dramatically. There were 328
in 2024–25 and 170 this year to date, with a couple of months to go,
but it looks like a very big decline in the number of resignations.
There is the matter
of medical retirements. Yes, we have had some increase in medical retirements.
Why do we have that? It is because the police union asked for officers to be
medically retired. These are officers, members, who do not go on the front line.
In fact, they do not go to work. It is better for them to be medically retired
and off the government books. Yes, their numbers are off the books and it represents
a decline in overall numbers, but they are medically retired. These are
officers who want to move on with their lives. They are not going to work. They
are not being taken away from the front line. They are being medically retired
because the WA police union asked for them to be medically retired. We
responded, and they have been. Resignations are about half the number they were
last year, and the number of police continues to grow year on year. That is the
reality. The member's statement today was utterly misleading.
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