Cut in SA police station hours is overwhelming officers, confusing general public
POLICE officers say reducing hours at local police stations has made their workload “overwhelming” and is potentially endangering victims of road rage.
POLICE officers say reducing hours at local police stations has made their workload “overwhelming” and is potentially endangering victims of road rage.
Officers told the Police Journal the changes mean people are being turned away from their local station, phone calls are going unanswered and 24-hour stations are filling with people confused about where to go for help.
First Class Senior Constable Meredith Humphries — who works in SAPOL’s communications centre — said the restricted hours were potentially dangerous for drivers being tailgated by other vehicles.
“It’s difficult to send a patrol to a vehicle on the move so it’s often suggested that they make their way to the closest police station,” she said.
“If the station is closed, they’re not being sent to a safe place and that makes our job more difficult to manage.”
Sen. Const. Humphries said people who went to their local station to report a domestic violence incident or sign in for bail were forced to call the communications centre after they found it closed, and said the changes could lead to an increase in unreported incidents.
“I actually had to attend a station during business hours to make a police report while off-duty because patrols were too busy to attend the job that I previously rang in,” she said.
Elizabeth Crime Prevention Sergeant Debbie Luetkens said the reduction in hours “do not appear to be successful for either police officers or service delivery to the community”.
“From the changes I’ve seen, police stations are understaffed. Staff are working longer hours, and on many occasions, with no meal break,” she said.
Port Adelaide Sergeant Amy Marett said the closure of the nearby Parks police station combined with the increase in workload had made conditions “overwhelming”.
She said a queue of people waiting for service regularly stretched out the door, with some waiting more than an hour to report their inquiries.
“We have members of the public travelling past other stations to attend ours because their local station is now only open 9-to-5, Monday-to-Friday,” she said.
A SAPOL spokeswoman said police personnel or the public may “experience some difficulties” while significant organisational changes were underway.
“It is important to reinforce that members of the public in most circumstances attend police stations for non-urgent matters which are administrative or regulatory functions,” the spokeswoman said.
“A formal review of police station operating hours will be held as part of standard practice following a change of business model. This review is scheduled to occur in later 2017.
“Ongoing assessments and movement of staff to meet service delivery expectations are undertaken on a daily basis as normal business.”
Opposition police spokesman Stephan Knoll said the officers’ concerns showed cuts to police stations had implications for frontline police staffing and community safety.
“(Police Minister Peter Malinauskas) has serious questions to answer about how the community were advised of these changes or whether people have just been left to fend for themselves at the time when they most need police help,” Mr Knoll said.
Front counter opening hours at the Glenelg, Golden Grove, Henley Beach, Netley, Norwood and Salisbury stations were slashed from seven days a week to five last September in the latest wave of reforms, while the Parks station was closed to the public.