Tasmania Police Commissioner Darren Hine
ALL Tasmanian police officers, including detectives, should expect to be rostered on to front-line roles, Tasmania Police Commissioner Darren Hine has told staff.
The change would see investigative strengths reduced as detective are rotated on the front line for ``short periods'' in a move the police union says is the current reality of budget cuts.
The draft Support to the Front Line strategy, released to officers for feedback last week, contains 14 proposals to strengthen front-line capacity.
Among them is the requirement for all members to be ``operationally ready'' to work on the front line.
If introduced, the new policy would require retraining, with refresher programs already being designed.
Members would also need to complete an operational skills ```validation process''.
The strategy comes after a budget cut restructure in December, which saw 49 officers take redundancy and the overall loss of 36 police positions last year.
It places an emphasis on technology to streamline and reduce time-consuming activities that currently tie up front-line police.
It proposes an online crash reporting system by August that would allow the public to report minor bingles that don't require police.
Infringement notices would also be lodged online with the phasing out of hardcopy notices by February 2014.
The police service will also roll out tablet computers for officers and allow them to bring their devices such as iPhones to hook into the department's mainframe.
Apart from hold-up, duress and medical alarms, police could skip attending alarms if they appear innocuous.
Country police stations will have desktop computers replaced with laptops and WiFi will be installed.
By 2015, officers can expect vests that provide enhanced protection against edged weapons, blunt trauma, cuts, punches, needles or other sharp hazards, the strategy said.
Assistant Commissioner Donna Adams said the department was still consulting police and the final strategy would be finalised soon.
Police Association of Tasmania president Pat Allen said the association supported measures that boosted front-line resources.
Police Minister David O'Byrne said the changes had the support of ``rank and file'' offices but opposition police spokeswoman Elise Archer said it showed budget cuts were ``stretching the thin blue line to absolute breaking point''.
The police service has been asked to cut $16 million from its budget over four years.
The government said police staffing rates were just below the national average and the state had more ``police staff'' a person than New South Wales, Victoria and the ACT.
