New SA Police Commissioner Grant Stevens may privatise parts of state’s police force

NEW Police Commissioner Grant Stevens has flagged privatising sections of the force as part of a widespread operational restructure he will implement.

GARY BURNS and GRANT STEVENS

• Push to move city lockout hour back to 2am
• Satellite police stations closed
• Split emerges over SA Police restructure
• Gary Burns: Changes not about cost-cutting
• Domestic violence, organised crime in new boss’ sights

NEW Police Commissioner Grant Stevens has flagged privatising sections of the force as part of a widespread operational restructure he will implement.

Speaking on Tuesday on his first day as the state’s top cop, Mr Stevens revealed a new structural model would be in place by the end of the year.

Mr Stevens said the operational review would rely on latest technology and creating efficiencies to drive the most effective policing response.

He said parts of the force could be “civilianised”, and that privatising elements of the force was on the table.

“That’s something that we have to have a look at and if there are opportunities for meeting the service delivery standards we have in a cost effective way, if we can do that through privatisation then certainly that’s up for discussion and debate,” Mr Stevens said.

“But before we look at privatisation we have to have the model right to know that we have the right structure in place that could be costed for a privatised model.”

It is understood privatised elements would, in the first instance, be contained to “off the beat” roles including prosecutions, call centre and administration areas.

Past police commissioner Gary Burns initiated the SA Police restructure, of which Mr Stevens described himself a “co-architect”.

Speaking at a Press Club lunch on his first day in the job as Police Commissioner, Mr Stevens confirmed the imminent restructure of policing resources.

He said that the six metropolitan Local Service Areas would be crunched down to three by the end of the year, to ensure the closest resource possible was deployed to call-outs.

“Any sensible business is going to examine how they operate and this is what we are doing today,” he said.

“We are going to see change in SA Police and we are going to see those changes rolling from today onwards and I’m expecting that we will have significant changes to the structure of our policing model by the end of the year.”

Mr Stevens said geographical policing boundaries would be broken down in the new model.

Discussions papers relating to the restructure of traffic policing and crime scene investigations have previously been criticised by the police union as compromising policing.

Mr Stevens said new technologies had to be embraced in an effort to achieve better policing.

“It means that the borders that we currently feel constringed by will disappear in our new policing model, and we are going to use technology to ensure that we can send the most appropriate and closest car for assistance,” he said.

Mr Stevens also reiterated that domestic violence and organised crime, specifically outlaw motorcycle gangs and the manufacture and distribution of ice, would be a major target of his.

State Police Minister Tony Piccolo did not attend Mr Stevens’ speech.