Police Commissioner Grant Stevens orders major review of country policing as union warns of safety crisis

Police Commissioner Grant Stevens has launched a regional policing review. It comes as the union lodges an industrial dispute over chronic understaffing at a country police station.

South Australia Police Commissioner Grant Stevens has ordered a major review of country policing.

It comes as the police union lodged an industrial dispute with the South Australian Employment Tribunal over serious safety concerns linked to understaffing at Coober Pedy Police Station.

In an email to police officers, Mr Stevens announced he had launched a review of the country policing model in light of the existing review of the controversial District Policing Model, under which metropolitan police operate.

“The DPM review being conducted ... has highlighted the benefit of providing a forum for our people to engage constructively, sharing insights and observations with an independent body,” he wrote.

“I also understand that regional policing is just as important as what we do across our metropolitan districts. Looking only at the metropolitan area in isolation does not consider the needs of our regions.”

Police Commissioner Grant Stevens. Picture: Brett Hartwig.

As such, Mr Stevens said he had ordered a regional review to provide “the same opportunity for engagement to those of you who are working in our regions”.

He said the review would provide country officers with a chance to “help shape what regional policing looks like in the future”.

Police Association of South Australia president Wade Burns said regional officers were overworked and under-supported.

“We’ve forced this issue out into the open, exposing the serious and persistent problems in country policing – chronic understaffing and vacancies, lack of support, inferior rosters and inadequate equipment,” he said.

“People are starting to notice that almost every area of SAPOL is now under some sort of review – regional policing, metropolicing (DPM), internal investigations, the APY model.

“It’s well past time that genuine accountability becomes a non-negotiable part of these processes.”

The union has raised concerns about officer shortages at Ceduna, Port Lincoln and Port Pirie, as well as an “extreme” lack of police prosecutors at courts in Whyalla, Berri, Port Pirie, Kadina, Port Lincoln, Ceduna, Barossa, Murray Bridge and Port Augusta. It says Coober Pedy Police Station had at least nine vacancies.

PASA has lodged a notification of an industrial dispute in the SAET seeking more officers and better conditions at the Coober Pedy station.

Police Association president Wade Burns at the union headquarters. Picture: Supplied

It is understood mediation sessions between the union and SA Police have already occurred. Meanwhile, in PASA’s latest Police Journal, country police prosecutors laid bare the affect of chronic understaffing.

Originally published as Police Commissioner Grant Stevens orders major review of country policing as union warns of safety crisis