Controversial SA Police district policing model to be overhauled after rank-and-file backlash
The state’s police system faces a full reboot after a rank and file backlash raised concerns about officer pressures and staff shortages.
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The state’s controversial policing system will be overhauled after a rank and file backlash raised concerns about officer pressures and staff shortages.
Police Commissioner Grant Stevens introduced the District Policing Model in 2018 under sweeping reforms to the restructured force that has struggled with recruitment to plug an exodus.
But critics have repeatedly questioned its intensive resourcing needs over four Adelaide areas covering the north, south, east and west as well as its wider effect on officer morale.
Senior police, who have considered suspending the contentious model, will overhaul the program after a series of officer forums in May warned of internal pressures.
Proposed changes include reviewing district boundaries “to better balance workload”, changing team rosters, more support for supervisors and launching a new “resolution” desk.
In a letter to the Police Association late last month, acting Commissioner Linda Williams said a key change was creating “closer working relationships” between response and policing teams.
Response officers act on radio help calls while district teams proactively investigate crime.
Proposed changes would relocate teams and develop rosters to allow teams to work together amid concerns response squads were staffed “at the expense” of investigations.
Mr Stevens, who returned from leave this week, and his deputy Ms Williams, held “open and frank” talks with 72 officers ranging in rank from Brevet Sergeant to Inspector from all districts.
“Supervisors and managers raised concerns about the pressure staff are under and identified a number of opportunities to improve the model,” the forum heard.
Police will also separately trial a new “alternative response extended-hours roster” across Adelaide operations, in changes agreed with its union.
It will be reviewed in six months and then a year.
Senior police will also review the DPM after the budget allocated $12.2m to accelerate recruitment
Mr Stevens, who will be publicly questioned today on the model he champions, told parliament this week: “We have identified key areas where we believe we can make changes … that will enhance its operations, make it more user-friendly for the people … and provide better outcomes for the community as well”.
He told budget estimates how “the ability to test or evaluate the … model has been hampered by the impact of Covid-19”.
“That was then followed by the lag in recruiting in late 2021 that saw us in a situation where we are now trying to get back to our funded establishment,” he said.
MPs heard almost 250 officers were leaving the force a year.
In a note to members, Police Association president Mark Carroll, welcomed the “significant review”.
Mr Carroll, who has been highly critical of police leadership especially of Mr Stevens, has not met the Commissioner in person since last year.
He revealed on Tuesday how after he cancelled “a couple of meetings” earlier this year between the pair, Mr Stevens then scrapped all future in person talks in 2023.
A police spokesman had no further comment.
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