The Peel district is experiencing a shortage of officers.
Camera IconThe Peel district is experiencing a shortage of officers. Credit: Supplied/Supplied

Police pursue recruits

Sarah Waters, Weekend CourierWeekend Kwinana Courier

It has been confirmed there are four vacancies at Rockingham station, two at Mandurah and three in Pinjarra.

An extra 14 officers, who make up the Mandurah District Crime Team, and Mandurah and Rockingham Operations Support Teams, were allocated to Peel, but more are needed, WA Police Union president George Tilbury said.

‘These examples of vacancies at Rockingham, Mandurah and Pinjarra are concerning and need to be addressed as a matter of urgency,’ Mr Tilbury said.

PerthNow Digital Edition.
Your local paper, whenever you want it.

Get in front of tomorrow's news for FREE

Journalism for the curious Australian across politics, business, culture and opinion.

READ NOW

‘Peel is a growth area and will need more police to ensure the safety of the community. It is a development region with new housing and infrastructure.’

Referring to ABS data for 2010-11, Mr Tilbury said Peel growth of 4.4 per cent was almost double that of the statewide 2.4 per cent rate.

‘WA Police and the State Government need to recognise this and help existing police officers by committing more officers to fill vacancies and keep up with the growing population,’ he said.

Peel District Office Superintendent Peter Halliday said while it was unusual for a small station like Pinjarra to have three vacancies at one time, it was not out of the ordinary for bigger stations like Rockingham and Mandurah.

‘Large police stations frequently carry vacancies due to the natural staff turnover into new positions and lag time in identifying suitable replacements,’ Supt Halliday said.

‘This doesn’t normally happen at smaller stations such as Pinjarra. These vacancies have resulted from a number of staff completing tenure at similar times. Peel District Office is taking steps to fill these positions.’

Supt Halliday said there were sufficient officers in Peel to manage the vacancies.

‘There are many metropolitan and state level police resources frequently operating in Peel, including officers from the Traffic Enforcement Group, Regional Operations Group, Mounted Section, Dog Squad and other police teams able to respond to local emergencies,’ he said.