Stoush over police stats

THE Gold Coast had 44 fewer officers as common crime like assaults was skyrocketing, State Parliament was told yesterday.

Opposition police spokesman Trevor Watts said Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk in a response to questions in the Parliament had indicated the Coast had 842 officers, which was a cut of 44 officers.

He said Police Minister Mark Ryan at the same time maintained the city had the equivalent of 856 full-time officers, and later claimed the police strength including squads was more than 1000.

“What we find when we look at these numbers, the Minister is hiding,” he said.

Mr Watts said the latest crime statistics on the Coast showed common assault had “skyrocketed by 126 per cent”.

He described Mr Ryan as “incompetent” and when it came to allocating resources “the buck stopped with him”.

Mr Ryan accused Mr Watts of lying to incite fear.

“He compares oranges and apples using misleading statistical comparisons to misrepresent the truth,” he said.

“There are over 1000 police on the Gold Coast and that’s a fact, confirmed by Assistant Commissioner Brian Wilkins.

“Mr Watts wanders around the state talking down police and trying to create fear in the community. It’s a farcical ‘tour of terror’.”