Police Service (Volunteer Police) Amendment Bill

About this Item
Speakers - Pickering The Hon Edward
Business - Bill, First Reading, Second Reading

POLICE SERVICE (VOLUNTEER POLICE) AMENDMENT BILL

Bill introduced and read a first time.

Second Reading

The Hon. E. P. PICKERING (Minister for Police and Emergency Services and Vice-President of the Executive Council) [4.17]: I move:

That this bill be now read a second time.

This is a simple piece of legislation. However, the issues addressed are very important. Over recent years the New South Wales Police Service has adopted community-based policing as its primary operational strategy. police operations are now more orientated towards serving the community. Better relationships have now been built with local communities through the deployment of beat police and increased police participation in local forums and activities. The proposed introduction of volunteers in policing is a
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logical extension of community-based policing. As honourable members are aware, the tradition of volunteer service to the community is a particularly strong one in Australia. In New South Wales, volunteers play a crucial role in the emergency services, for example.

However, the concept of using volunteers in policing is new to Australia. This is not the experience overseas. In the United Kingdom, Canada and many parts of the United States, volunteers have a long history and continue to play an important support role in providing policing services to the community. I believe the time is now right to trial the concept in New South Wales. No specific overseas scheme would be suitable for complete adoption in New South Wales. Various components need to be used to fashion a scheme particular to New South Wales, which would take account of local conditions and customs. In particular, any scheme would need to build upon community based policing and the New South Wales tradition of volunteerism. I have, of course, been aware for many years of the utilisation of volunteers in policing in overseas jurisdictions. My attention to the potential benefit of the deployment of volunteers in New South Wales was first aroused by reading a report from two New South Wales commissioned officers who examined the concept as part of an executive development visit to Canada.

Subsequently, I arranged for the concept to be studied in more detail during an overseas study tour by representatives of the Police Service and the Police Association. More recently, the introduction of volunteer policing and the design of an appropriate trial have been the subject of deliberation by a task force established by the Commissioner of Police. Conscious of the need for informed public debate on the issue, I recommended and Cabinet accepted that a green paper be issued, based on the task force report. I launched the green paper on 12th February. As part of the launch, I wrote to all honourable members. The period for public comment in response to the green paper expired on 27 March. Relatively few comments have been received and public debate has been muted. However, apart from the attitude of the unions representing members of the Police Service, most notably the Police Association, many responses have been supportive.

All the principal unions in the Police Service - the Police Association, the Commissioned Police Officers Association and the Public Service Association - have expressed their strong opposition to the concept of volunteer policing. Frankly I find this attitude disappointing, if somewhat understandable, in that the unions are not prepared to give the concept a fair trial and then make up their minds based on objective evaluation criteria. However, I acknowledge that the very vocal opposition of the Police Association, in particular, may make the conduct of a trial difficult. It is not my intention that police officers be forced to participate in a trial. Indeed, I believe the trial should proceed only if and when individual police patrols are prepared to participate voluntarily in the trial program.

Given the importance of the matter and the continuing attitude of the unions the Government believes the opportunity for public debate should be extended. Therefore, I will be leaving the bill to lie upon the table of the House until the budget session. This will enable all interested parties to study exactly what legislative changes are proposed. Virtually all responses to the green paper, including those of the unions, were supportive of the concept of volunteers in policing. As outlined in the task force report, volunteer policing involves the use of citizen volunteers in community policing centres such as at the pilot program at Airds, near Campbelltown, and in victim support roles. No legislation is required for these initiatives and I have directed that the Police Service
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actively pursue this concept.

I now turn to the provisions of the Police Service (Volunteer Police) Amendment Bill. As I said in my introductory remarks, this is a simple piece of legislation. It is proposed to amend the Police Service Act to provide for the engagement of police volunteers, known collectively as the volunteer police. As the introduction of volunteer police is to be on a trial basis the bill contains a sunset clause - in clause 91H - which will repeal the amendments on 31st December, 1994, unless the Parliament passes amending legislation or the clause is repealed sooner. This is a clear indication from the Government that it approaches the trial with an open mind. For the benefit of honourable members I will be tabling explanatory notes prepared by the Parliamentary Counsel which explain the provisions of the bill. It is not my intention to speak to the specific clauses of the bill in any detail. I will point out that while the volunteer police are included in the Police Service the bill makes it clear that police volunteers are not police officers for the purpose of the Act. However, police volunteers are required to share the same mission and values as persons in other branches of the service and are subject to the general management and control of the Commissioner of Police.

Item (6) to schedule 1 defines the powers, duties and terms of service of police volunteers. The main features include that: police volunteers while on duty have the same powers, authorities and privileges as special constables; police volunteers are to be appointed for a fixed term, but may be dismissed for any reason the commissioner thinks sufficient; the commissioner will also determine the functions of police volunteers, but these must include that the functions are to be exercised under the supervision of a police officer at all times; complaints against police volunteers are to be handled in essentially the same way as complaints against police officers; police volunteers are to be issued with such equipment as the commissioner determines but not with firearms. The bill contains a number of consequential amendments to the Police Service Act and other legislation governing the Police Service. The bill departs from the green paper in that it does not prescribe accident cover for volunteer police by way of amendments to worker's compensation legislation. Rather such cover will be provided by an insurance policy taken out by the Police Service. Volunteer policing is a practical way of increasing community-based policing. The matters before the House today form but one variation of the use of volunteers in policing. As Minister for Police and Emergency Services, I am convinced that volunteers have as important a contribution to make to policing as they have done in the other parts of my portfolio. Accordingly, I believe that the use of volunteers in the Police Service deserves a fair trial under a variety of conditions.

The model of volunteerism which is the subject of this bill involves the use of uniformed volunteers undertaking a range of police functions. The bill clearly defines the limits under which these volunteers will be engaged. The bill gives the commissioner power to determine what functions these volunteers will perform under police supervision. I would imagine that their deployment would be very much in accordance with the proposals contained in the green paper. As honourable members will recall from their reading of the green paper, the volunteer centre of New South Wales will be involved with the Police Service in choosing sites for the trials. I have received a number of approaches from interested parties about being involved in the trial and will be passing these on. I have said on a number of occasions that volunteer policing will not succeed without the good will of all concerned. That good will need only extend to allowing a fair trial of the concept. This legislation is an important stage in allowing such a fair trial. As I said earlier given the importance of the matter the Government believes the opportunity for public debate should be extended. Therefore, I will be
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leaving the bill to lie upon the table of the House until the budget session.

Debate adjourned on motion by the Hon. R. D. Dyer.

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