WA Police private jet spend: Taxpayers may lose out on more than $10m after lease of luxury jet

WA Police have allocated more than $23 million to lease a luxurious light business jet, rather than buying one for a cheaper price. The force will spend about $23.2m to use a 2026 model of Pilatus Aircraft’s PC-24 jet between July 1 next year and 30 June 2031. WAPOL currently own three Pilatus PC-12s. A PC-12 is about half as fast as a PC-24. There was no open tender process for WAPOL to secure a new jet, instead Pilatus was hand-picked for a five-year lease of its 10-seater PC-24. The PC-24 has been touted as the fastest aircraft in WA Police’s history and will be used to get key investigators to remote crime scenes more quickly. “The Pilatus PC-24 was selected as it met all business requirements of the WA Police Force including size, performance, single pilot certification, ability to operate on gravel airstrips, and large separate cargo door allowing the loading and carriage of specialist police equipment,” a police spokeswoman told The West Australian. An unused 2025 model of the PC-24 retails for about $20m, according to aviation brokerage firm Guardian Jet. WA Police will also miss out on the PC-24’s considerable resell value by forgoing ownership of its aircraft. A 2019 model that has flown 836 hours is listed on Aviation Trader, an Australian-based online marketplace, for $15.9m. A 2018 model that has racked up 1230 hours of flight time is listed for $14.8m on the same marketplace. A police spokeswoman said leasing, rather than purchasing, the jet was the most “effective option.” “A number of procurement options were thoroughly examined and considered, and leasing the aircraft was determined to be the most effective option,” she said. “The Department of Housing and Works in conjunction with WA Police Force has negotiated a lease that includes a complete maintenance program for the aircraft for the term of the lease.” General maintenance and engine overhaul costs to fly a PC-24 for 200 hours a year is roughly $US400,000 ($595,000), according to US Federal Aviation Administration-registered jet charter business Liberty Jet. “It means specialist police from Perth such as Tactical Response Group officers, detectives, forensic teams or chaplains can be on the ground in Kununurra, for example, around three hours faster,” the State Government has said. “Currently a fully packed PC-12 aircraft would take up to six hours to reach the same destination and need to stop to refuel.” WA Police Union president Dave Flaherty said he understood the advantages an aircraft can provide in improving police response times, but he questioned the allocation of resources. “There must also be a clear focus on supporting police officers on the ground, addressing attrition by fixing the smaller but critical issues, including reasonable and fair compensation for members required to work on days they are lawfully entitled to have off,” Mr Flaherty told The West. WA Police is sinking in the equivalent of 49 constable base salaries for each year of the PC-24 lease. Pilatus is headquartered in Switzerland and has an Australian arm based in Adelaide. Former South Australia Police superintendent David Scutchings is the chief executive of Pilatus’ Australia division. The Royal Flying Doctor’s Service and New South Wales Ambulance are Australia’s main users of PC-24 jets and spend millions of dollars to retrofit each aircraft for medical transport use. Both government organisations own their PC-24s.