NSW Police spending whole shifts taking prisoners to court across the state leaving towns ‘at risk’
POLICE officers in coastal towns are fed up with spending several hours a shift transporting prisoners across the state for court appearances — a farcical situation they warn is leaving their towns severely vulnerable.
NSW
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REGIONAL cops are being dragged from frontline work to spend whole shifts transporting prisoners to court in a farcical situation they warn is leaving their towns severely vulnerable.
A dossier of internal complaints obtained by The Daily Telegraph reveal how it is commonplace for officers in coastal towns such as Forster, Port Macquarie and Taree to spend up to seven hours transporting prisoners across the state for court appearances.
In one case, two officers from Kingscliff in the state’s far north spent an entire night shift transporting three prisoners. “We arrived back ... at 12 midnight,” an officer says in a complaint dated March last year.
“No police covered Kingscliff jobs while we were away and this can be proven as a missing person (alert) was being broadcast for four hours while we were away ... no police did the job for us. Not happy.”
Many other officers also vent their fury at how “stuffing around” can turn what are expected to be short trips into delays of four to six hours.
“On Wednesday (names removed) were the 2pm 8hr shift,” a complaint reads.
“The shift involved us doing a hospital guard before conveying that prisoner and another prisoner to Lismore.
“We arrived back with about an hour to do some (paperwork) ... this was a waste of our whole shift.” The officer warns taking their car “off the road” left the area’s “workload” on just “one vehicle”.
Another missive reads: “Quite apart from the $$$ value costs involved there is the cost of lost opportunities servicing the community; the impact of staff who have their good will and morale sapped by having to spend their shifts in a truck driving prisoners around (and not getting other work done like briefs etc).”
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In the wake of the revelations, the NSW Police Association has delivered an ultimatum to the government threatening to stop prison transportation in some regional areas unless the problem is addressed.
It has written to Commissioner Mick Fuller, Attorney-General Mark Speakman and Police Minister Troy Grant, warning them the action will start on March 18.
“Whole communities are being put at risk because police are being used as Uber drivers for prisoners,” association vice-president Pat Gooley said yesterday. “You have situations where a 000 call to Parkes police station may have to be covered by another station from Forbes because a rostered police truck is driving prisoners to court hundreds of kilometres away.”
“Either Corrective Services have to take responsibility for their own transportation or we have to be given more police to do the job.”
A state government spokeswoman said “all agencies involved in prisoner transport work hard”.
“The NSW government thanks Juvenile Justice, Corrective Services and NSW Police officers for their effort and commitment,” she said.
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“Representatives from Corrective Services, Police, Courts and Tribunal Services and Treasury are working on options for a new approach to prisoner transport, escorting and guarding duties.
“Options include trialling new arrangements in a number of locations — including increased use of (audio visual links) in police stations and changes to how accused persons requiring a mental health assessment are transferred from courts.”