cop out

Dr J.M. WOOLLARD: [...] The fact that we are losing so many police officers is very sad, and we should not be asking them to work in conditions such as exist at Palmyra Police Station. I have begun discussing this matter with the Minister for Police because we need a new police centre in the south metropolitan area. I think the Minister for Police wants to interject!

Mr R.F. Johnson: I just want to let you know that we’re not losing police officers at the rate we were 12 months ago or two years ago; we are, in fact, to some extent inundated with local recruits wanting to join the police. We are not seeing the drain of experienced police officers that we saw a year or two ago.

Dr J.M. WOOLLARD: If that has been the pattern for a while, I guess the previous government needs to be congratulated as well as the current government.

Mr R.F. Johnson: No, it’s only happened in the past six to nine months. That’s the truth!

Dr J.M. WOOLLARD: If that is the case, I have to congratulate the Minister for Police! However, I must point out some of the conditions in which these police officers are working, particularly police officers at Palmyra Police Station in my electorate. They are not fit premises.

Mr T.R. Buswell: They are not thick premises?

Dr J.M. WOOLLARD: Fit premises. They are very thin officers!

I would like to take the Minister for Police there at some point and show him those facilities so that we can make sure —

Mr R.F. Johnson: Can we go now?

Dr J.M. WOOLLARD: Ha, ha!

Subject: Loan Bill 2009 [Legislative Assembly - Second Reading]

Date: 10 June 2009

Hansard reference: p. 4884 [online (pdf)]