On the airwaves

The ongoing parliamentary select committee investigating the staffing, resourcing and efficiency of SAPOL has brought the media knocking at the Police Association door for commentary. Association president, Peter Alexander, has acceded to virtually all of their requests and, as a result, spent many hours in interviews on talkback radio in recent months. A transcript of an interview last month with Kevin Naughton on ABC radio appears below.

Kevin Naughton: Well, in a state where law and order has such a profile on the public and political agenda, it’s a surprise this afternoon to hear that the police force is being squeezed for money.
Today, the State Opposition has claimed the police are so low on budget funds that even uniforms are being worn beyond their best. Overtime requests, they say, are being refused, even stationery is tight, and if a police officer can’t even get a pencil then who’s keeping the sharp eye on crime? Now, we’ll dissect these and find out just how much truth there is in all of it.
Peter Alexander is the spokesman for the Police Association. Good afternoon to you, Peter.
Peter Alexander: Good afternoon, Kevin.
Naughton: What are you hearing from your members about the state of the budget?
Alexander: We are hearing, from across the state, that there are serious problems with the police budget. And that is resulting in overtime being refused and right across the spectrum to those comments you made earlier in your opening that there’s just not enough money to maintain the status quo.
Naughton: But how widespread is this? Is this, for example, just some areas of the police service saying, “Look, we’re just going to tighten up here and tweak there to make sure we actually meet or work within our budget come the 30th of June”?
Alexander: Well, it varies. I mean our Port Adelaide LSA area, they’re currently fifty down, five zero down, in terms of personnel and they’re being told in the face of that that they can’t have overtime because of budget problems. Now, of course, that then becomes a problem in delivering the service to the community.
Naughton: When you say they’re 50 police officers down, 50 out of how many?
Alexander: Out of about 330, I think, in that particular LSA.
Naughton: So they’re 15% down on the required numbers in an area, I think, where probably visible police presence is a key part of the strategy?
Alexander: It’s absolutely a problem in that regard. And the people who are there are trying to make up for that shortfall and then they’re being met with budget restraints and comments about refusal of overtime when they’re only trying to do the job that the community expects.
Naughton: So any feedback from police officers in that area as to whether or not they’ve had to pull back on any investigation of crime?
Alexander: I don’t think there’s any doubt that happens and then it gets down to prioritising. I mean in a perfect world, of course, you’d investigate everything and we understand that you have to prioritise. But this prioritising beyond the norm, this is refusing the follow-up to matters that would normally be followed up, and so you get to a scenario where the services that South Australians should and would expect are not being delivered.
Naughton: So Port Adelaide looks as though it’s a bit of a hot spot for budget cuts; any other areas?
Alexander: Yes, down the South Coast. But, as I say, right across the spectrum we’re getting reports from our 4,000 membership that there are real concerns about the budget. And we look to the Police Minister and the Police Commissioner to come clean on this and tell the community, if there are problems with the budget, why that is and what they intend to do about it.
Naughton: Now, there were suggestions, I hear in the four o’clock News bulletin, from Kevin Foley that this is really a bit of positioning from the Police Association ahead of enterprise bargaining negotiations set to commence. Now, what’s the timetable for that?
Alexander: Well, that’s the most incredible comment I’ve heard from Mr Foley since he’s been in government and as our Minister. But, I suppose, if you don’t want to deal with a problem, you look to something else. This has got nothing to do with enterprise bargaining, there’s a time factor in place for that, and that’s no different than any other part of the community in the methodology they deal with pay increases. He knows as well as we do this is about a budget shortfall and I think it’s inappropriate and improper of him to try and link that to enterprise bargaining.
Naughton: Where to from here? Are you seeking any meeting with the Police Minister?
Alexander: Yes, we are. And, as a result of what the Minister’s had to say this afternoon, we need to have them sooner rather than later. I mean we’re not going to get involved in a slanging match, but if the police budget is now being used in a political way that’s inappropriate, the community deserves better than that.
To link it to enterprise bargaining, I think, is to ignore the immediate problem. If there is a problem, let’s have some transparency, let’s be out in the open about it. If the Government can’t afford to fund the police budget say so and then the police would have to prioritise and police officers would have to deliver the service within that framework. But to deny it, we think, is totally inappropriate and, yes, we will be looking for discussions.
Naughton: Peter Alexander, thank you very much.
Alexander: Thank you.