Police Commissioner Grant Stevens wants public servants to help COVID-19 policing operations

Police Commissioner Grant Stevens has revealed he wants help from other government agencies as police fight to deliver normal services and stop COVID-19 from entering SA.

Scores of employees from government agencies are set to be enlisted to work alongside overstretched police officers maintaining COVID-19 restrictions.

Police Commissioner Grant Stevens has revealed he initiated the move a fortnight ago to help alleviate the unprecedented pressure now being placed on police resources.

Each day more than 450 police officers are now committed to COVID-19 operations ranging from manning border checkpoints in the South-East to checking restaurant and hotel social distancing compliance.

It has resulted in many policing activities and investigations being put on hold.

The government agencies involved in the discussions to assist police include Primary Industries, the Transport and Infrastructure Department and Environment and Natural Resources – while the use of SES and CFS volunteers are also being considered for some additional roles.

Mr Stevens said the urgent discussions involved the chiefs of other emergency services and government agencies “who as part of their role, have some sort or compliance or regulatory responsibilities.’’

“We are canvassing those opportunities to work alongside each other to spread the load a little more,’’ Mr Stevens said.

“The reception has been excellent, it is about defining just how we achieve that. I am expecting we will have some positive outcomes from that sooner rather than later and then we look at how we utilize those resources that are made available.

“The SES and CFS have a significant volunteer base, but it is how we integrate them with our current activities.’’

Police Commissioner Grant Stevens at the Pinnaroo border checkpoint in March. Picture: Dean Martin

Mr Stevens said he had established a business continuity management group that met daily “to assess and manage’’ the policing resources for the COVID-19 response and from what areas of the organisation they were obtained.

“The number involved changes daily, depending on where we are in the rotation of officers to border control activities or the level of activity we need to respond to in hotel quarantines and airport reception,’’ he said.

“For sworn police officers it fluctuates between 450 and the highest we have had allocated was 570. That is a significant number of police officers that are diverted from other activities to support a function that has never existed before for policing.’’

Mr Stevens said he was becoming increasingly concerned at how some policing operations, such as the imminent Operation Nomad bushfire initiative, would be managed with so many officers committed to COVID-19 operations.

“It may be that the CFS and SES have the ability to support us in that regard. It is not just about COVID-19, it is about how they can help us in other areas. There is a willingness to contribute, it is just a matter of what that looks like,’’ he said.

The officers involved in COVID-19 operations are being drawn from all areas of SAPOL, including key investigative units such as Serious and Organised Crime, Major Crime and suburban CIB units. In some areas long-term investigations have been put on hold, but urgent inquiries or those that may threaten community safety if delayed have been maintained.

“We still have a prevailing obligation to investigate crime, to prevent crime and ensure proper road safety. These things just can’t stop,’’ Mr Stevens said.

“There is a prioritisation process we apply to determine what can be slowed down, what can be held back completely, what can be done in a different way to free up resources.

“So far I am very happy with the way we have been able to manage that but we are acutely aware we cannot keep doing this forever.’’

Chief Public Health Officer Professor Nicola Spurrier , Health and Wellbeing Minister Stephen Wade, Premier Steven Marshall and Police Commissioner Grant Stevens at the testing station at the SA Border checkpoint on the Princes Highway near Mount Gambier. Picture: Gretel Sneath

Mr Stevens said he was concerned at continuing impact COVID-19 operations was having on his staff, particularly long term fatigue as the pressure increased.

“I am hugely impressed by the level of commitment I have seen across the board within SAPOL by police officers and non-sworn staff. It is commendable,’’ he said.

In direct response to the COVID-19 crisis SAPOL is recruiting an extra 72 police officers and 54 Protective Security Officers to help alleviate resourcing pressures – with the PSO’s expected to be available within 10 weeks.

The 72 officers is on top of SAPOL’s 4713 FTE staffing level, but the higher number will be reduced through attrition to the cap “at some time in the future’’ when COVID-19 demands have reduced.

“We had scheduled cadet courses for September, November and January but in order to meet demand we have added another course in October and the November and January courses are going to have almost double the number of course members,’’ Mr Stevens said.

“If there were some relief to COVID-19 through a vaccine or some other factor we could scale back more quickly by cutting back the January course, but I do not see that happening.’’

Besides the planned additional recruits and PSOs, more than 140 civilians have also been employed in areas such as the police operations centre, the central assessments until and Adelaide airport arrivals that has enabled sworn officers to be redeployed.