Coast cops fresh Games cash snub
THE Gold Coast will not get a dedicated drug squad or an 88 extra police officers from the $60 million left over from the Commonwealth Games.
Labor refused to commit the money to bolster police numbers after being grilled in State Parliament yesterday for cuts to cop resources on the Gold Coast.
During a tense Question Time in which Speaker Curtis Pitt rebuked MPs for “unacceptable” behaviour, the LNP asked seven policing questions, including:
• How could Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk have confidence in Police Minister Mark Ryan after he gave three different figures in one day about Gold Coast police numbers.
• After a heartbreaking recent report showed Queenslanders dying from drug overdoses on the Coast had increased by 75 per cent in the past decade, would the Premier explain why her Government continued to deny resources for a dedicated drug squad.
• Given Police Commissioner Ian Stewart admitted “I would love more money” in the budget, would the Premier commit to allocating more resources for Coast police from the $60 million of leftover Commonwealth Games funds.
The questions follow the launch of a petition by the LNP pressuring the Government to provide 88 extra police officers for the Gold Coast.
The LNP bases the figure on the 44 extra police Labor promised before last year’s State election and the city having 44 fewer permanent cops than two years ago – from 886 in June 2016 to the 842 the Premier admitted the Coast had last month in State Parliament.
Labor argues the “44 positions less is a fallacy”.
Last week, in an email claiming the Bulletin appeared to be misleading readers on police numbers, it said the actual strength was 1059 in September this year. But on Tuesday this week the figure had changed again, with Mr Ryan telling Parliament the strength was 1054.
The Government and Commissioner Ian Stewart say the Coast will get its extra 44 officers but the commitment is across four years.
The Premier told Parliament: “We have consistently made sure that the police budget goes from strength to strength.”
Ms Palaszczuk said any drug death was “heartbreaking”, the ice issue was nationwide and her government had addressed it through an action plan.
Treasurer Jackie Trad said Mr Ryan asked for police resources at every opportunity and was provided with them.
“Let me say, the gall of those opposite to come into this place, to come into this place and argue the point about resourcing the police service,” Ms Trad told Parliament.
The Government in almost four years had increased the police budget by almost 13 per cent, she said.
Under the LNP, the increase was about 3 per cent.
Mr Ryan faced a barrage of interjections as he defended the Government’s $2.4 billion capital works and operating budget for police, saying it would provide more officers than before.
“They always laugh when I talk about the good work of the police service. Every single time. They think it’s a joke.”
BULLETIN VIEW, P20