Police union push for relief from prisoner transport duty

For decades, the union has pushed the issue, arguing police should not be responsible for driving prisoners across the state, instead putting the responsibility back on the Justice Department and its correctional officers.

But despite their campaigning, officers in the Western District remain responsible for both security at the Burnie Supreme Court, and transporting prisoners on remand to the Launceston Reception Prison outside of business hours.

Police Association of Tasmania president Colin Riley said with police resourcing stretched as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, a change was desperately needed.

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"The pandemic put enormous pressure on resourcing, and now we have had a horrendous increase in fatalities on our roads, it is a critical time for our members to be out interacting with the public and not doing admin functions for other government agencies," he said.

"It just beggars belief that this simple matter cannot be resolved."

When questioned about whether the Justice Department would consider taking responsibility for the transport of its prisoners, a spokesman said the department was "continuing to consult with Tasmania Police and other stakeholders about future options for after-hours transport arrangements for people in Tasmania Prison Service custody in the North-West".

Since 2017, the union has also called for safer pods to be fitted on three of the divisional vans, after a prisoner died in a "substandard" Justice Department vehicle.

"Our members continue to use substandard vehicles post this death," Mr Riley said.

Raising the issue again in June, the union was told the police department was looking into options for a "more comfortable transport on longer journeys", after a long-distance prisoner transport vehicle working group formed at the beginning of the year.

But as of Wednesday, there were no further updates.

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Acting Assistant Commissioner Rob Blackwood maintained the department would "finalise a viable alternative in the near future".

"Tasmania Police is also upgrading the prisoner holding cells at Queenstown police station, which will reduce the need to transport prisoners long distances," he said.

The three routes of concern highlighted by the union were Burnie and Devonport to Launceston, Queenstown to Launceston, Burnie or Hobart, and St Helens to Launceston.

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