The Examiner’s crime reporter MELISSA MOBBS puts three key questions to Police Minister Rene Hidding, Deputy Opposition Leader Michelle O’Byrne and Greens police spokeswoman Rosalie Woodruff ahead of the state election.
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Q: Can the community be assured police officers will be relieved of their security duties in Tasmanian supreme courts, as promised, and put back onto the frontline where they are needed?
Secondly, will the same happen in the North-West, which is the only place in the state where officers remain sitting in court indefinitely?
RENE HIDDING:
Yes, we deliver on our promises. Correctional Officers are currently in training to take over responsibility from police in the Launceston court.
We also remain committed to removing police from court duties in the North-West, which is why we have appointed a project officer specifically to examine the most efficient and effective way to do this.
Labor need to clearly outline how they will pay to remove police from the North and the North-West seeing as their previous commitment of $300,000 per year would not even be enough to get police out of the Launceston courts, let alone the North-West.
MICHELLE O’BYRNE:
Labor will increase the number of police on the frontline, with a focus on regional communities, and will remove police from court duties in the North and North-West, freeing up about 10 police officers each day.
A Labor government will make smart investments in our police service, with a focus on bolstering community policing in rural towns and communities.
It’s of major concern that many rural stations lack the capacity to backfill when officers go on leave or are sick, leaving communities without an immediate or, in some cases, even nearby police presence.
That leaves communities vulnerable.
ROSALIE WOODRUFF:
There should be state-employed security officers at all courts, every sitting day, instead of police officers.
At the moment, police in Burnie, Launceston and Devonport are regularly called off policing work to sit minding an accused person, often for a whole day.
The Greens support our highly trained police being on the streets, doing their job to keep us safer.
Q: Given the push to introduce mandatory sentencing for intentional assaults on off-duty police officers was not successful, would your government consider pushing to change the Police Offences Act to create an individual offence?
O’BYRNE:
The simple fact is there is no evidence to support mandatory sentencing.
People working in our legal system including the Sentencing Advisory Council strongly recommend against it.
It can have disastrous unintended consequences for some people including the mentally ill.
Mandatory sentencing as a concept has turned into a Liberal plaything whenever they see the need to whip up hysteria and unnecessarily scare Tasmanians. We will take an evidence-based approach.
We have strengthened legislation to give clearer directions to the judiciary around serious crimes.
WOODRUFF:
The crimes of assault, wounding and grievous bodily harm are already in the Police Offences Act and the criminal code.
A serious offence can attract a maximum jail term of 20 years.
If someone assaults a police officer because they are a police officer, this is already an aggravating factor in a sentence.
Intentional assault automatically gets a far higher penalty.
The mandatory sentencing laws by the Liberals erodes faith in our justice system.
It would be a less safe land to live in if we handed the sentencing of criminals to politicians, instead of leaving the job to independent judges.
HIDDING:
No.
Our position is clear, the anomaly that currently exists regarding intentional assaults on off-duty police officers should be rectified by adoption of the sensible amendments we proposed last year.
Anything else is merely tokenistic and does a disservice to our hardworking frontline police officers.
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Q: There have been plenty of words spoken over Ashley Youth Detention Centre and whether it will remain open, whether it will be replaced by a northern prison or if a new prison would simply be built next door.
Let's make it clear, will Ashley remain open and continue functioning as a youth detention centre under your government and will there be a northern prison?
WOODRUFF:
Labor and Liberals’ vision for northern Tasmania is to lock people up.
Instead of spending at least $137 million to build a prison, and $30 million a year to run it, the Greens would fund world-class drug rehabilitation and post-prison housing.
We would target communities struggling with addictive drugs, as well as resource people to get the treatment they need to stay out of jail.
Ashley is a failed place of frustration, boredom, and missed opportunity.
We will close Ashley and start two smaller centres, one North and one South, based on an astoundingly successful Missouri model.
HIDDING:
A Liberal government will keep the Ashley Youth Detention Centre open on its current site, protecting jobs in the local community.
We will invest $7.28 million into a major redesign and upgrade of the facility, to make it fit for purpose.
We will continue to improve the model of care, as part of a modern, integrated state-wide therapeutic youth justice model.
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O’BYRNE:
The Ashley Youth Detention Centre will continue to operate as a youth justice facility.
However, Labor will continue to investigate evidence-based policies to give young Tasmanians every chance to re-engage for the future, as part of a therapeutic approach to youth justice.
If young people are not given a chance to rehabilitate, the chances are they will reoffend.
Labor’s focus is on keeping Tasmanians out of detention by addressing crime and providing the best possible schools, health and hospital system and affordable housing.
We will not be spending $340 million to build a new prison.
The crime Q&A is part of an election series launched by The Examiner this week.
Read the first feature of the series by health reporter CARLY DOLAN: Liberals, Labor, Greens answer health questions
