Police united in praise of new divisions

Superintendent Stuart Bartels said he was excited about the new model.

‘Firstly, it needs to be looked at as a whole picture,’ he said. ‘I think there is a lot of confusion and misinformation from people only looking at small parts of the new model.’

Peel Traffic acting officer-in-charge Geoff Daniels said it meant more resources for traffic police.

‘We only have two vehicles, now we will have four, and we will be issued more police motorbikes,’ Senior Sergeant Daniels said.

Mandurah Police officer-in-charge Dean Snashall agreed there were concerns.

‘There is a fair bit of angst, however it’s lost on everyone that the service won’t change,’ Senior Sergeant Snashall said. ‘The new model will give us better scope to deal with the issues prevalent in Mandurah.’

Supt Bartels said the model was built from international experience where a ‘critical mass’ of 500 people police a district.

‘We are aiming to have 550 people for the district,’ he said. ‘It creates levels of effectiveness; for instance, hoon drivers will be targeted by those who understand the issue.’

He explained dedicated teams would be divided into six clear divisions.

‘It will allow organisational structure,’ he said. ‘The six (divisions) are administration, control centre, response, investigation, support and local policing.’

He said the new model had been discussed in meetings with the City of Mandurah. But they were limited in what they could say until fully briefed by the Police Minister and Commissioner.

‘It was impossible to give details but once it was released, it was discussed with the City,’ he said. ‘It would have been irresponsible to talk about it before it was implemented.’

See also: Super frustration at district merger