Marked Police Vehicles

MARKED POLICE VEHICLES

Mr GIBSON (Londonderry) [6.03]: I wish to refer to police and police safety in Mount Druitt and New South Wales generally. I am pleased that the Minister for Police is in the Chamber, as he indicated last week that we have enough police officers in this State, and that the public has full confidence in them. I do not know whether the Minister is right on both of those points - they are probably both debatable. The
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Opposition spokesman on police matters, the member for Ashfield, has asked in this House for documentation detailing police strength and the other types of services provided. That information was supposed to be provided on Monday, but we are still waiting today.

I am aware that the police and the Police Association of New South Wales are crying out, and justifiably so, for more officers in this State. The allocation of officers for the Mount Druitt police station is 131 officers, yet the number of police on duty yesterday - covering the full roster of officers, including detectives and even educational staff - was only 75 officers. These officers work under Keith Thombs, who does a wonderful job. That understaffing is indicative of the problem with police numbers. The problem is not necessarily with the number of police allocated around the State, but with the number of officers on duty at any one time. We are hurting in western Sydney as a result of insufficient police on duty. Two very senior handlers in the dog squad recently came to see me. They were concerned about the policy of Commander Bruce Gibson earlier this year that all police vehicles had to be marked with police insignia. I do not know the reasons for this policy, but I could suggest that the Government wanted to make it appear that we have more police in New South Wales than we have in reality.

This is a cosmetic public relations policy. Officers working in covert situations, such as detectives and members of the dog and drug squads, would not want the police insignia on their cars. These officers have put their concerns to their regional officers, but unfortunately they did not go beyond those officers. When the policy change went through, Commander Gibson said that if officers were concerned about their safety he would have another look at the policy. I assure the House that a very senior officer in the dog squad was threatened from the dock by an offender he was charging. He threatened to kill the officer, his wife and their family. The prisoner told the officer that he knew where he lived because he had seen the dog squad vehicle outside his home. The police markings on the vehicle allowed identification of the officer's home.

It would be a shame if police officers in this State, who do a wonderful job in very difficult covert situations, were forced to drive marked police vehicles simply so that it appears that the Government has suddenly delivered more police officers to service the people of New South Wales. If that is to be the policy, the lives of police officers and their families will be put at risk for no reason. I ask the Minister to examine this policy. A few weeks ago I wrote to the Minister on this matter, and I still have not received a reply. It is very important that the lives of police officers and their families are not put at risk simply because of the Government's desire to create the impression that more police officers have been allocated and that a police car is to be found on every street corner in New South Wales. This is a very sorry indictment of the Government of New South Wales.

Private members' statements noted.