Page 1864 - Week 05 - Thursday, 10 May 2018
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(2) Can you provide data on the relatively new suburbs of Moncreiff, Jacka, Bonner and Casey with regards to crimes that impact household such as burglary, theft and property damage and car theft.
(3) When will the Government adequately resource police to protect and prevent crime in the ACT given Canberra has the lowest number of police per capita in the country and the slowest Police investigations process.
(4) Can the Minister confirm the number of police on shift at the Gungahlin Police station at any given time.
Mr Gentleman: The answer to the member’s question is as follows:
Your question contains several assumptions it is important to correct.
(1) Gungahlin is a rapidly developing region of the ACT with a growing population and evolving demographic profile. The ACT Government and ACT Policing are working together to ensure police are equipped in terms of resourcing and equipment, effective use of technology and legislative reform.
It is instructive to review the crime trends in the ACT over the last ten years. Homicide is down by 70%, burglaries are down by 30%, motor vehicle theft is down by almost 20% and property damage is down by almost 40%. Also of note, over the same ten year period, the ACT’s population has increased by about 13%. Short term crime rates fluctuate in the ACT, but over the longer term it is clear that crime rates are dropping.
(2) Data relating to crime statistics, including by suburb, are available on the ACT Policing website at www.police.act.gov.au
(3) The ACT Government continues to invest in ACT Policing to ensure it has the appropriate resources, equipment, facilities, technology and legislative tools available to deliver quality policing services to the community, as outlined in the Agreement between the ACT Minister for Police and Emergency Services, Australian Federal Police Commissioner, and the Chief Police Officer for the ACT for the provision of policing services to the Australian Capital Territory 2017-2021.
In addition, the ACT Government has invested $2.1 million to review current operating models and infrastructure to enable future planning for policing in the ACT. The Chief Police Officer (CPO) has indicated that the issue of resourcing is not simply about numbers, it is more complex than that. A body of work called Policing for Tomorrow’s ACT is being developed to provide advice and options on the future needs of ACT Policing so that it remains a high performing law enforcement capability. The $2.1 million is part of the $8.8 million provided in the 2017-18 budget for new initiatives.
(4) The Gungahlin Police Station establishment structure consists of 39 members. The station’s rostered shift strength is one supervisor and five team members. Teams overlap during peak periods and specialist policing resources augment community policing numbers in line with operational requirements. Members from other areas within ACT Policing can be utilised if required.
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