Police Minister Mark Ryan becomes Robocop as talks up technology not troop numbers

POLICE Minister Mark Ryan, under siege about planned cuts to the Gold Coast budget, has had an overnight trip on the Glitter Strip. He was quick to talk about technology but what did he say about cop numbers?

EMBATTLED Police Minister Mark Ryan reckons there are more than 1000 cops on the Gold Coast.

Rank-and-file have told the Bulletin it is significantly less than that, and Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk says it is somewhere in the middle.

Police sources say senior officers fear the real number will come out if staff rosters are made public.

Asked about the number of police working on the Coast after an overnight stay yesterday, Mr Ryan said the approved strength of the Gold Coast police force was 1015 and “the actual number is around 1054”.

“But that number goes up and down. And as I said depending on taskforces coming into the area, retirements and new recruits,” he said.

Minister for Police Mark Ryan, Assistant Commander Brian Wilkins and Acting Chief Superintendent Craig Hanlon looking at the new digital technology at DTACC. Photo: Emily Halloran

Premier Palaszczuk told State Parliament last month that the Coast had 842 permanent officers, well down on the 886 in 2016.

Police sources yesterday said the Government was too embarrassed to provide real numbers.

“They are worried someone is going to leak a copy of a roster (for a station). It will show just how many staff are on sick leave and on transfers,” a police source said.

In June last year, LNP MP David Crisafulli discovered the Runaway Bay police station had almost half of its 24 officers on sick leave or helping other areas.

The new Gold Coast police technology hub — DTACC. Photo: Emily Halloran

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An LNP petition is pressuring the Government to provide an extra 88 cops for the Coast, which the Opposition says will cover cutbacks and promises.

Mr Ryan said Labor’s election commitment for 44 extra police was across four years.

“We keep our commitments. And over four years the officers will be delivered here on the Gold Coast,” he said.

At 4.57am yesterday, Mr Ryan’s office announced he would be holding a press conference with senior Gold Coast police at 7am in Surfers Paradise before returning to Brisbane for Parliament.

The media call was at the district tasking and co-ordination centre (DTCC) where police sources have complained that experienced senior coppers were holed up, preventing them from helping rookie officers at major crime scenes.

Asked about those concerns, Mr Ryan replied: “I’m not sure if you were listening to what the AC (Assistant Commissioner Brian Wilkins) and I was saying.

“This is about freeing up police resources. I just gave an example where this centre helped to resolve a job last night within one hour.

“Prior to having this centre it would have taken, as experienced officers told me, at least 10 times longer.”

Police Minister Mark Ryan returning Opposition fire in State Parliament. Photographer: Liam Kidston.

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Mr Ryan later told Parliament he was at DTCC on Wednesday night where the technology helped police arrest two arsonists.

LNP Mudgeeraba MP Ros Bates accused Mr Ryan of using Parliament to justify Labor’s cuts to frontline police services on the Coast by trumpeting new technology as the future of modern policing.

“This is despite the fact that QPRIME went down last week and put the whole system in crisis,” Ms Bates said.

“Does this mean he is going to replace our hard-working men and women in blue with Robocops?

“What’s next — the deployment of Knight Rider to track down car thieves and local hoons.

“It would almost be funny if it wasn’t so serious and putting the safety of Gold Coast residents at risk.”