Cop union raises alarm over Coober Pedy Police Station
The police union has warned of ‘state-sanctioned negligence’ after a female officer’s marathon shift in outback South Australia pushed her to breaking point.
An 18-hour shift filled with hostile crowds, reckless drivers, and emergency callouts pushed a female Coober Pedy officer to the brink – revealing the dangerous and demanding reality for outback police.
The warning comes after the cop union revealed there were currently nine vacancies in the regional police station.
The gruelling shift, detailed in a confidential Hazard and Incident Report obtained by The Advertiser, highlights how relentless policing in remote communities can be.
The damning report begins in early September, around 5.30pm, when police officers were called to attend a “grade two” where three people were fighting in the middle of the street in the Umoona Community.
Upon arrival, cops were suddenly surrounded by a large “intoxicated” and “agitated” group.
“As police arrived, numerous other persons exited from the houses on the street whereby there then totalled approximately 10-12 people at any given time,” the report read.
“All were intoxicated, agitated and wanting to fight the rival families.”
Only three police officers and a community constable were attending the threatening job.
At the same time, another incident was unfolding in Coober Pedy Shell Service Station where a female tried to get away while “grossly intoxicated”.
“The female sped around the car park, screeching her wheels and completing doughnuts in the gravel car park across the road before speeding off,” the report went on.
When she returned, an off-duty officer and member of the public courageously took away her car keys to prevent any serious harm from occurring.
The second incident forced the officers in Umoona to split, with two leaving the scene although they “did not feel comfortable leaving” their partners due to “safety concerns”.
After a few more hours, police were successfully able to establish peace among the Umoona Community and the female reckless driver was arrested.
The following day at 2.15am, the Coober Pedy female officer was already overdue to finish her shift after a busy day – when a tasking in Oodnadatta came in that “required immediate” attention.
An injured man had assaulted his partner, leaving head laceration injuries.
They had been taken to the local health clinic but staff couldn't safely treat the pair due to the man’s ongoing aggression.
The female officer stocked up on fuel and supplies and drove more than two hours to Oodnadatta in the dark.
Upon arrival, the male “resisted” arrest and had to be “restrained on the ground and his arms physically pried away to be safely handcuffed”.
The officer then drove him back to Coober Pedy to be charged.
The officer completed an exhausting 18-hour shift. The significant, accrued fatigue forced her to use her sick leave the next two shifts.
The Police Association of South Australia president Wade Burns condemned SAPOL for allowing “blind neglect to become the norm”, which leaves “officers and communities to fend for themselves”.
“Officers working 18-hour shifts, managing violent crowds and dangerous driving, then travelling hundreds of kilometres alone in the dead of night – this isn’t policing,” he said.
“It’s state-sanctioned negligence.
“If someone is seriously injured or worse – and that’s not an ‘if,’ that’s a ‘when’ – SA Police won’t be able to claim it didn’t know.”
An SA Police spokesman said the force had “robust systems in place to manage overtime and fatigue … to reduce the impact of custody-related duties and conveyances”, as well as strategies to address the shortages.
“SAPOL is taking proactive, strategic action to fill vacancies and support our officers in Coober Pedy such as actively backfilling vacancies with officers from other locations,” he said.
“To address current vacancies, SAPOL has launched an internal campaign highlighting the substantial allowances and incentives available to country members. This has already resulted in transfer applications and the successful filling of all supervisory positions in Coober Pedy.”
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Originally published as Cop union raises alarm over Coober Pedy Police Station
