Page 2776 - Week 08 - Thursday, 24 August 2006
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In relation to effective accounting for police numbers, the dependence on the FTE measuring factor for police capability is too loose, too flexible and inaccurate, especially in getting a comprehensive picture of the number and the type of police available—for example, speciality and experience. A more effective means of accounting for ACT Policing strength is to lock into the police agreement a fundamental benchmark reflecting a proper establishment headcount model of accounting for our police strength.
What is the impact of all this? What has been the impact of this running down of the police service and the understrength police force that we currently have? I want to produce a couple of snapshots of that impact on the community. We have problems with dangerous driving, including burnouts in Summerland Circuit, Kambah; Gilmore; Chisholm; Theodore; and La Perouse Street in Griffith. The worst cases reported occurred in suburban streets of Gilmore and Chisholm. A quote from Chisholm residents’ emails says:
Chisholm looks like a New York ghetto with the burnout marks and the number of houses with bomby old commodores and falcons parked in their front yards—it looks like a wrecking yard in places ... I can hear more hooning in surrounding streets as I write this.
I might not agree with that graphic account. Chisholm is a much nicer looking place than that. Perhaps this poor man is frustrated in terms of the calls to police and the lack of response. I seek leave to table photographs of the burnouts at Chisholm shops.
Leave granted.
MR PRATT: I present the following papers:
Burnouts in streets around Canberra—photographs (5).
These photographs are fairly fresh. They demonstrate that nobody is attending to this problem in that particular area.
We have seen particular problems of shop crime in Charnwood, Red Hill, Erindale, Richardson, Monash, Calwell and the Tuggeranong Hyperdome. I have had numerous complaints of break-ins, theft and harassment at Canberra shopping centres. Most offences are happening on a regular basis, with repeat offenders and details known to shopkeepers. One of the most recent reports included a drunken rampage involving a group of young men that harassed shopkeepers and passers-by in broad daylight on a Sunday afternoon at Charnwood shops recently, with some offenders dropping their trousers. Mr Speaker, I wish to take my second 10 minutes.
MR SPEAKER: A continuance, yes.
MR PRATT: Thank you, Mr Speaker. I pick up at this point: they were urinating all over walls.
Dr Foskey: God, do not go on. Where will it end?
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