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Good report for WA police FASTER response to general and emergency calls, improved services and more police are headline results listed in the 2005-06 annual police report.Police Minister John Kobelke tabled the report, saying State Government funding had seen police now better resourced than they had ever been. Major improvements listed in the report included a fall in the number of homicides for 2005-06 by almost 19 per cent, a drop in the number of deprivation of liberty charges (down 15.7 per cent), aggravated robbery (down 8.5 per cent) and burglary (2.1 per cent). Mr Kobelke said police had enhanced counter-terrorism and emergency response capability during 2005-06 with the establishment of a North-West Water Police base, an improved Western Australia Police bomb response capability, conducted four major counter terrorism exercises and established a specialist counter-terrorism tactical training facility. He said improved safety for police officers had been achieved with the trial and deployment of new operational equipment including new vests designed to carry police accessories, new protective gear for motorcycle officers and special Kevlar needle-resistant gloves. Use of the Police Assistance Centre (PAC) had freed-up officers from telephony and data-entry responsibilities and redirected them back into frontline duties. The PAC was now handing 43,000 calls each month, 86 per cent of which were answered within 20 seconds. The report showed 96 per cent of emergency calls (000) were answered within 20 seconds, a significant improvement compared with 2004-05 (78 per cent). The average time taken from an emergency call received to police arrival was eight minutes. Police had continued to work with PathWest to streamline DNA analysis processes including the purchase of contemporary DNA analysis equipment to increase processing of major crime samples, as well as improving the quality and reliability of tests and improved crime clearance rates. The Minister said that in an effort to protect children and target speeders in 40kmh school zones, State Government funding had provided four additional speed-cameras to be used in early 2007. An extra 80 police officers had been recruited and 70 positions had been civilianised to free-up officers for frontline duties in country and metropolitan stations. The report showed a number of offences had increased in 2005-06 compared to the previous year. Assault offences increased by 5.8 per cent, sexual assaults (21 per cent), threatening behaviour (9.7 per cent), fraud (33 per cent) and breach of restraint (23 per cent). These increases could be attributed to improved recording capabilities and ongoing Government and police strategies to encourage the reporting of offences. Despite this, the community's level of satisfaction with services provided by police was at the highest level since 2001-02. |
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