Adelaide suburban police stations facing cuts to opening hours received $4 million in upgrades

POLICE stations where opening hours will be slashed from next week have received almost $4 million of taxpayer-funded upgrades in recent years, documents show.

An artist’s impression of the $5 million Henley Beach police station, where opening hours have been cut even before it is completed.

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POLICE stations where opening hours will be slashed from next week have received almost $4 million of taxpayer-funded upgrades over the past seven years, documents reveal.

The move to reduce front-counter hours at nine stations and close The Parks facility is “an investment in keeping people safe that will now go to waste”, the Opposition says.

It obtained figures under Freedom of Information showing that the State Government has spent more than $3.9 million between 2009-10 and March 1 this year on capital works at the stations, which will have reduced opening hours from next Monday, September 5.

This is an average of $62,000 per station each year.

The documents show $638,399 has been spent on capital works at The Parks station, which will close to the public but remain an around-the-clock patrol base from Monday.

The Advertiser reported last week that the opening hours at the Aldinga, Glenelg, Golden Grove, Henley Beach, Netley, Norwood and Salisbury stations would be reduced to Monday-Friday, 9am-5pm.

These stations — except Henley Beach, which is yet to reopen after being totally rebuilt, and Aldinga — now open seven days a week, with hours ranging from 7.30am to 11pm.

The Holden Hill and Sturt stations will continue to open seven days a week but their hours will be cut from 24 hours to 9am-9pm.

The changes have come under fire since they were announced last October, amid concerns reduced opening hours would jeopardise community safety.

Opposition spokesman Stephan Knoll described the reduction in front-counter hours at the stations and the decision to close The Parks as a knee-jerk reaction to cost-cutting pressures in SAPOL.

MP Stephan Knoll, chair of the Opposition’s WasteWatch Committee.

“It is a disgrace to see almost $650,000 invested in the Parks police station over recent years for that money to now go to waste,” he said.

“This decision shows that the government has not learnt the lessons of the wasteful closure of the McLaren Vale station, nor the folly of spending around $5 million on upgrading the Henley Beach station only to drastically reduce its opening times before it’s even completed.

“This desperate reaction to budget pressures has ended up costing South Australians millions as once again Labor continues a culture of being frivolous with taxpayers’ money.”

The documents also showed a total of $13.6 million had been put towards capital works at the Aldinga, Christies Beach, Elizabeth, Glenelg, Golden Grove, Grenfell St, Henley Beach, Holden Hill, McLaren Vale, Netley, Norwood, The Parks, Port Adelaide, Salisbury, Sturt and Wakefield St.

Police Minister Peter Malinauskas said the Opposition’s claims that investment in police station infrastructure would go to waste were “completely false and misinformed”.

Police Minister Budget, Police Minister Peter Malinauskas MLC at the Angus Street Police Headquarters talking about local recruitment Photo: Nick Clayton

“Changes to the administrative hours of police stations are about improving the service SAPOL provides to the community,” Mr Malinauskas said.

“Less desk-bound hours mean that we are able to increase the number of police out on the beat patrolling our streets, which will improve community safety.”

A police spokeswoman said regardless of front-counter operating hours, police officers would continue working in all existing facilities or use them as a patrol base.

“Capital investment in police facilities is an ongoing requirement to ensure appropriate accommodation and infrastructure is maintained,” she said.

The reduced opening hours, which aimed to return police to frontline patrols, formed part of the biggest reforms for the force in almost 20 years.

Since proposed in October, the reforms have already resulted in the closure of nine suburban police stations.

At its next meeting, Marion Council will consider writing to Mr Malinauskas and all local MPs to lobby for the Sturt station to remain open to the public 24 hours a day, because the Hallett Cove station was closed and the Netley and Glenelg stations will have their front-counter hours reduced.

“We all understand the need for lean governance, but mean governance has its own consequences,” Councillor Bruce Hull said.

“It is my belief that the State Government has crossed the thin blue line in terms of acceptable service delivery and public safety.”

Salisbury Council also objected to the reduced hours at its local station, saying it would impact on community safety.