The situation for the Tasmania Police service has become dire, with the Tasmanian Police's own data revealing that over a quarter of shifts are not meeting the bare minimum safe staffing levels in one our largest police stations.
Police officers in Hobart are frequently working below safe levels, as the station is often left critically understaffed and under resourced. The other six 24-hour police stations are battling to maintain their safe staffing levels.
Over 25% of shifts at the Hobart station have consistently failed to meet their bare minimum safe staffing level since 4 July this year when mandatory safe levels were introduced. During this period 47 of the 168 shift snap shots failed to comply to agreed safe staffing levels.
Across all police districts there are currently 64 vacancies. And, in addition, 67 members are absent and fully incapacitated and off work. That means there is a shortfall of 131 police officers in our state.
Failing to meet safe staffing levels and the high level of unfilled positions is leading to increasingly high workers compensation figures with just over 11% of police officers on a current workers compensation claim.
Unsafe staffing levels and high workers compensation rates are not separate issues.
We currently have a police minister who consistently misleads and covers up the truth of what is occurring at our state's police stations, and the conditions our police officers are made to work under.
Minister Ellis is consistently thanking our dedicated police service, and so he should, but our officers no longer need his thanks, they need him to actually do something to ease the pressure and ensure safe working conditions.
By constantly denying the pressures the Liberal Government is not only covering up the situation but placing officers at risk of harm.
It is well past time for Jeremy Rockliff to get control of his ineffectual Minister for Police, Felix Ellis, and fix the issues in our police service.
This is not about politics, it's not about government spin; this is about lives.
| Michelle O'Byrne MP Shadow Minister for Police, Fire and Emergency Management |
