The recommendations of the Premier’s Taskforce established nearly two years ago to tackle police resourcing have been kept secret despite ongoing recruitment and retention issues
A taskforce established nearly two years ago to tackle police resourcing have been kept secret despite ongoing recruitment and retention issues.
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The recommendations of a taskforce established nearly two years ago to tackle police resourcing have been kept secret despite ongoing recruitment and retention issues.
The opposition is now calling on the government to immediately release the report to the public.
The Premier’s Taskforce was established in July 2022 to make recommendations on police resourcing and numbers over the next 10-15 years.
It included senior officials from SA Police and the Police Association of SA (PASA), as well as former police minister Joe Szakacs, Public Sector Employment Commissioner Erma Ranieri and Department of the Premier and Cabinet chief executive Damien Walker.
Police Minister Dan Cregan last week told parliamentary question time “SAPOL provided the final submission to the Premier’s Taskforce on 30th May 2023”.
“As I say, I’ve been briefed, we have taken in and read all of the materials that relate to the Taskforce,” he said.
Police Commissioner Grant Stevens said his “wish list” comprised of resources, money, legislation and enhanced capability from public policy. “That taskforce has presented papers to cabinet, and cabinet are making decisions about what they will do with those recommendations,” he told ABC Radio Adelaide.
Opposition police spokesman Sam Telfer said SA Police currently has the highest rate of officers abandoning the force – a six-year record.
He said more than 8400 extra crimes had been committed in the past 12 months across the state when compared to the year prior.
“SAPOL officers are overstretched and under resourced to such an extreme that we have more people abandoning the force than are being recruited,” he said.
“Why hasn’t this crucial report been made public for South Australians to see? New Police Minister Dan Cregan must stand up to (Premier) Peter Malinauskas and ensure the report is released immediately to the public.”
Mr Cregan said the government has responded to submissions “decisively”, including by funding an extra 189 police security officers in the budget and significantly expanding local and overseas recruitment drives.
“The report is an important tool to assist with the changing nature of modern and more complex policing, and its recommendations will be used to develop the government’s response in the upcoming 2024-25 state budget,” he said.
“The government has taken immediate and urgent action on the most critical issues that confront SAPOL and frontline officers today, while planning for the resources and numbers needed over the next decade.
“South Australia has the highest per capita rate of frontline officers out of any Australian state – something the former government continues to talk down.”
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Originally published as The recommendations of the Premier’s Taskforce established nearly two years ago to tackle police resourcing have been kept secret despite ongoing recruitment and retention issues
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