More than 16 years ago the issue of Tasmanian police officers sitting in court was raised by then Northern Commander Ivan Dean.
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In 2012, the state Liberals pledged to remove police from the courts if they were elected into government. They formed government and police officers continue to sit in Launceston and Burnie’s Supreme Courts.
In the Northern District, which includes Launceston, there are 255 police or 1.77 officers per 1000 people. In the Western District, which includes Burnie, there are 237 police or 2.08 per 1000 people. In the South, where officers are not required to sit in court, there are 481 police or 1.84 per 1000 people.
As well as sitting in court, the North and Western Districts are also tasked with transferring prisoners to and from the Launceston Reception Centre. The Western District also covers a large area stretching to the West Coast and Circular Head.
The number of Supreme Court sittings has also increased due to a backlog in the system.
Last month a four-week Supreme Court trial involving eight police officers cost more than $95,000 and 2500 man-hours, according to the Police Association of Tasmania.
While the police are sitting in our courts, it’s less officers providing a physical presence in our community.
A fortnight ago police dog Fang went on duty at shopping centres and Launceston’s central business district. The initiative was designed to increase police presence, make the community feel safer and of course detect any illegal activity.
Fang, alongside his police handler, managed to detect drugs several times and also uncovered a large knife. The community response to Fang’s presence and results was overwhelming positive and there were calls for this to happen more often.
Labor has pledged $900,000 over three years to remove police from our courts. Liberals said it would cost $750,000 a year, plus additional upfront costs. Despite confirming costs, no actual plan has been revealed.
The state government’s had five years to create a plan to remove police from courts, as promised. They’ve also worked hard to produce a state budget surplus – this year’s was $54 million.
The Examiner will continue to call for our police officers to be removed from the Supreme Court and have equal expectations as our southern counterparts.