(Pantelis: Rob Brokenshire … another pollie who has phoned in …)
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| Family First's Rob Brokenshire MLC was previously Minister for Police in the Liberal Government |
(Pantelis: He did hold a media conference yesterday and of course was asked about this. Do you think his comments went far enough?)
No I don’t. Look there are two or three key things here. First of all, Stephen Wade is right on $50 million of budget being cut back for police recruitment, which is a concern because that then means we’ll slip below the growth numbers we need. But more importantly … the Commissioner has to find $34 million in general cuts to police. That’s an area that we’ve got to try and resource to the best capability of Government even when financial situations are difficult. But the concerns that I have are that we all know there are a number of affiliates and direct associates of outlaw motorcycle gangs … who have licences to run restaurants and hotels. One thing I think that needs to happen urgently is a review of those licences and probably the removal of those licences. Then the second aspect to this is more resources into organised crime, particularly what was known as Avatar which was a dedicated police focus on.. with dedicated highly trained police officers; I think you need to see probably a doubling of that number of police so they’re really get in on top of these OMCGs. And I just don’t hear that sort of commitment coming from the Government unfortunately
(Pantelis: Do you think in the wake of Mike Rann, who of course everyone in Adelaide referred to as Media Mike, and there was an association with spin and all of that, but if Jay Weatherill had said, you know come out strongly, do you think he would’ve been believed?)
I think he would’ve. I mean the first thing he could’ve come out and said was we’ve heard a lot of spin and rhetoric and promises from the previous Premier and Government, I want to take a new direction here, I am concerned about safety. Bear in mind this is on a Sunday evening, in the last of a series of events, when a lot of families were actually going home from the Carols by Candlelight and of course others from sporting events … and they need to be reassured that South Australia is safe. I think if Premier Weatherill had have come out and said look he won’t stand for this; any initiatives that have to be put forward will be put forward. And not just legislative initiatives because we heard all that from the former Premier … knocking down fortresses and so on …
Yeah. So I don’t expect Jay Weatherill to come out and carry on with that rhetoric but he could’ve come out with some actual strategic direction and been shoulder to shoulder with senior police and actually shown that there was a commitment, an effort and a focus on this because we don’t need this sort of behaviour in South Australia. And at the moment … I’m getting this from a lot of constituents that someone that happens to be appearing to have a potentially unsafe load on a trailer or something like that, they’re being pulled over and fines are increasing, we saw that in the media recently. But when it comes to the serious end of town, where people are out there with firearms and the issues of whether they have licences.. even how did they get these … black market firearms etc? These are the things that I think … the community want reassurance on not only from police who are doing a good job, but this is where the leadership of the new Premier needs to step up in my opinion
(Pantelis: Alright Rob, thanks for calling in).
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