SA Police Academy gun flaws ‘left taxpayers to foot bill to fix preventable problems’

A political row has broken out over an SA Police training facility as the state’s top cop rejects claims safety failures put police lives at risk.

Officers at the SA Police Academy firing range as seen on a recruitment video. Picture: SA Police

The safety failures that forced SA Police’s Adelaide academy gun firing closure left taxpayers fixing “largely preventable problems”, critics say.

The Fort Largs weapons training facility, in the northwest suburbs, was urgently shut after a catalogue of “catastrophic” safety failures allowed ammunition to penetrate bulletproof walls.

But as the state’s top cop on Wednesday angrily rejected claims the safety blunders risked lives and a political row erupted in parliament, the Opposition and rank-and-file officers criticised wasted taxpayer funds.

Police Association president Wade Burns, whose powerful union represents more than 4600 rank-and-file officers, said the saga unnecessarily cost South Australians.

“It’s disappointing that (SA Police) and the government have to spend taxpayer money fixing largely preventable problems, when policing in SA is crying out for an investment in the officers themselves to combat the unprecedented level of resignations,” he said.

SafeWork SA, which was made “aware” of the problems on Wednesday, has declined to investigate the problems as confusion reigned over the workplace safety watchdog’s involvement.

Under state law, none of the failures, which has caused a backlog in operational training, required any mandatory SafeWork notification.

Police Commissioner Grant Stevens, had said on Wednesday morning the force had “advised SafeWork SA and they don’t intend to conduct any further inquiry in relation to it”.

“If there were failures that needed to be addressed in terms of our inspection or any other practices then I’m sure we would be held accountable for that,” he said.

Police Commissioner Grant Stevens at the formal opening of the force’s Mounted Operations Unit unit at Gepps Cross on Wednesday. Picture RoyVPhotography.

In a statement last night, a police spokesman said Mr Stevens was “advised SafeWork SA was being notified in the early stages of the malfunction … being identified”.

“This notification did not subsequently take place because it was not a notifiable incident,” he said.

“(He) was not advised of this but was aware there was no SafeWork SA inquiry taking place.”

Confidential police documents released under Freedom of Information laws, revealed authorities abruptly suspended weapons training for almost five months over a catalogue of “catastrophic” failures.

None of the problems at the Police Academy were publicly announced. Picture: RoyVPhotography.

Damage sustained at the firearms range at the Police Academy at Fort Largs. Picture: SA Police

While more than 2000 officers were told about the closure, it was not publicly announced.

Opposition police spokesman, Jack Batty, condemned the safety failures as a “symptom of Labor’s catastrophic SA police resourcing”.

He added: “(SA Police) is catastrophically under-resourced – with a shortfall of nearly 200 police officers on the beat. In the meantime, crime is skyrocketing across the state.”

Mr Stevens said more inspections would occur, a long-term solution was to “remediate the facility” while police were addressing the significant wear-and-tear at the 30 year-old facility.

“We’re now rectifying the facility by doing an upgrade, which should last us for several years,” he said.

Police Minister, Dan Cregan, echoed Mr Stevens’ statement in parliament that no public threat existed, adding the government was delivering an increase in graduates.