Police ordered to shave budgets as Logan gets funds from the Gold Coast
THE police officer debate has put the focus on district budgets. Why is Logan getting more money from the Coast?
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THE Gold Coast police district is assigned a “savings target” each year where senior police must cut back on the budget announced by the State Government.
Police Commissioner Ian Stewart yesterday denied he received a performance bonus if police districts were able to return the so-called “efficiency dividend” and reduce their costs.
The Commissioner declined to give a budgetary breakdown in the South East Region between the Gold Coast District and Logan District.
After the Bulletin revealed the Coast police budget was being cut and funds sent to Logan, Labor has faced accusations of pork barrelling ALP electorates.
Police sources have told the Bulletin about political interference in the budgeting process, despite the Government claiming it remains at arm’s length from operational issues.
“The Commissioner makes the decision on what regions get what,” a police source said.
“The regions get a pot of money. But the budget from the Government has to be reduced. Like a CEO, you are required to provide an efficiency dividend.”
Asked about the efficiency returns, the Commissioner’s office acknowledged the process.
“In order to ensure fiscal sustainability and fund priority areas, regions and commands are assigned savings targets. These targets are set at the beginning of the financial year,” the Commissioner’s office said in a statement.
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Commissioner Stewart on Thursday told a media conference: “We have a $2 billion-plus budget, that’s a lot of money. We always come within 0.01 per cent of spending that every year.”
He confirmed $200,000 was being reallocated from the Coast to the Logan district, describing it as “a very small drop in the ocean”.
Several government sources dispute the figure, adding that the efficiency targets are much higher and point to political influences on where the savings go.
“There’s a Logan influence. The financing for Logan is all about Labor seats,” an emergency services source said.
Asked yesterday to provide the budgetary breakdown for the Coast and Logan, the Commissioner’s office replied that “the QPS takes a flexible approach to resourcing which enables an agile and flexible policing response to the community”.
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