Page 3565 - Week 11 - Thursday, 22 September 2005
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Mr Pratt: Mr Speaker, I rise on a point of order. I ask the Chief Minister to withdraw that character-reflecting comment about “police basher”. I ask him to withdraw that.
Mr Stanhope: I said that there is a police basher in the ranks; I did not name anybody. I said, “There’s a police basher in the ranks”; I named nobody.
MR SPEAKER: It is a term that has been used here so many times before, Mr Pratt. It is—
Mr Pratt: Well, it is unparliamentary.
Mr Smyth: No, Mr Speaker, the last time it was used, Mr Hargreaves called the police “Keystone Cops” in fact.
MR SPEAKER: Sit down.
MR HARGREAVES: It is interesting that Mr Smyth has such a phenomenal memory, but he cannot remember what I said only five minutes ago. Nowhere did I say I would be having a meeting with the Chief Police Officer on Monday. Mr Smyth has misled this place with that statement.
MR SPEAKER: Order! Withdraw that.
.
MR HARGREAVES: I ask him to withdraw it.
MR SPEAKER: Mr Hargreaves, withdraw that.
MR HARGREAVES: All right, Mr Speaker, he has told a porky.
MR SPEAKER: Withdraw that.
MR HARGREAVES: All right, I withdraw that too. The fact is that I did not say that I was meeting with the Chief Police Officer on Monday and Mr Smyth asserts that I did. Let me put this into perspective: I have confidence in the police. Mr Pratt searches around in the rubbish bins of life trying to find something with which to belt the police. I guess he will do that until the day they kick him out of here.
MR PRATT: Mr Speaker, I have a supplementary question. Minister, given this stark example, when will you properly resource the police service including sufficient police numbers to ensure that they can discharge their duties properly, the way they wish to?
MR HARGREAVES: Mr Pratt trolls through the rubbish bins of life and he finds one thing that is wrong with it. He has now found something that he can hang his hat on. I reject his assertions that the police do not do a really good job in this town; they are great.
Mr Stefaniak: Mr Speaker, I rise on a point of order. Mr Pratt asked a very specific supplementary: minister, when will you properly resource the police service—
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