Kirkup to boost South West cop resources

New State Opposition Leader Zak Kirkup has committed to increasing policing resources in the South West, should he be elected in March. Mr Kirkup visited Bunbury for the first time in his new role last week and was joined by Liberal candidate for Bunbury Matt Foreman. They said Mr Foreman’s door- knocking in recent weeks had given them a clearer idea of issues troubling residents. “Residents are telling us they’ve had enough of the antisocial behaviour, hoon drivers and drug-related crime afflicting their community,” Mr Kirkup said. “We believe they deserve better and are committed to making a real difference by increasing police resources.” According to Mr Kirkup, the Bunbury district is 16 officers short of its full operating capacity of 56 officers. “The Liberals will ensure that Bunbury has the full 56 police officers it needs and deserves,” he said. Police Minister Michelle Roberts firmly disputed the claims, saying Mr Kirkup’s facts around officer numbers were incorrect. She said Mr Kirkup was “either being deliberately misleading or is incompetent”. “It is a great shame that Mr Kirkup can’t get his facts right,” Mrs Roberts said. “He is wrong on officer numbers. “There are 47 more officers on the ground in the South West than there were in June 2016 under the Liberal-National government. “In fact, we completed a $5.8 million upgrade of the Bunbury Police Complex to accommodate more staff there, so the Leader of the Opposition’s claims are wrong. “Plus we’ve established the Regional Enforcement Unit which has significant patrol hours and a permanent presence in the South West.” Drug-related offences reported in the South West Police District between July and September this year totalled 375, almost exactly half of the 746 offences reported in the same period last year. Ms Roberts also said the State Government had taken steps to reducing hoon driving. “Crime is down in the South West and police already have 10 covert hoon cameras purchased by our Government, which they can deploy to trouble spots,” she said. “This is on top of 100 automatic number plate recognition cameras we purchased this year for police to use in mobile traffic intelligence operations.” Mr Kirkup said Bunbury was a hotspot for hoon drivers. “The Liberals will establish a WA Police Hoon Response Group with 20 hoon cameras, which will be deployed to trouble spots, including the City of Bunbury to deal with hoon drivers,” he said. A similar war of words broke out in Mandurah earlier this month after Mr Kirkup said they too were short of officers.