General News
31 May, 2024
We need more cops
Local Member for Condamine Pat Weir believes more staff are needed at the Cambooya and Drayton police stations, an issue that has not been made any easier by the wider staff retention crisis facing the Queensland Police Service.
The Cambooya Police Station is allocated one officer, a position Mr Weir said has recently become vacant and there could be a long wait until it’s filled, as it took over twelve months to fill last time.
“The long, protracted absences are really highlighting the police shortage,” he said.
The Cambooya Police Division also covers Greenmount, Felton and Ramsay.
In the lead-up to the previous two state elections, won by Labor, Mr Weir has called for the Drayton Police Station to be made open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
The Drayton Police Division covers a fairly large population, including the Toowoomba suburbs of Darling Heights and Drayton, part of Harristown, Hodgson Vale, Top Camp, Mount Rascal, Vale View, Westbrook, Wyreema and Wellcamp.
Mr Weir said making the Drayton station 24/7 is “high on the priority list” for the Toowoomba police command.
In the lead-up to the State Election in October this year, Mr Weir said keeping police in the job will be an important goal for the Liberal National Party.
“We need to stop police officers from leaving the force,” he said.
“They’re frustrated with not being supported.”
“There are less police officers now than at the last election.”
Mr Weir said the LNP had been pushing for breach of bail, which the Labor Government has finally taken up, and also support removing detention as a last resort.
Both of these policies have a strong focus on reducing youth crime.
The Clifton Police Division, which includes Nobby and Pilton, has also been low on staff this year with one of the two allocated officers on leave.
Mr Weir said that although police staffing in other areas of the Condamine electorate are mostly good for now, his colleague James Lister, Member for Southern Downs, has told him there is a police shortage in Millmerran and Texas.
These two electorates, Condamine and Southern Downs, are a telling example of how the shortage of Queensland Police officers has had an impact on regional and rural towns.
In January this year, Queensland Police Academies did have a record high number of 681 new recruits commencing at Brisbane and Townsville.
Incentives have been provided by the State Government to entice new recruits, including a special cost of living allowance on top of the current recruit wage, free accommodation for recruits living at police academies, $20,000 towards the relocation costs of interstate and overseas applicants who are serving or recently served police officers and up to $20,000 towards eligible HECS debts for successful police recruit graduates.
