Zak Kirkup promises more cops for Geraldton to deal with ‘out of control’ crime rates

Opposition Leader Zak Kirkup has blasted the “chronic understaffing” of police in the Mid West, while denying he is overcooking claims local violent crime is “out of control”. Visiting Geraldton on Wednesday for the first time since becoming Liberal leader, said more police were needed to combat violent crime figures. “We’re seeing a very significant increase on crime here,” he said, adding violent crime had jumped by 75 per cent during Labor’s term of government. “With such a huge spike, the Police Minister needs to explain why the Mid West Gascoyne is so critically understaffed. It’s not good enough.” Police staffing figures from October show there are currently 229 officers across the region, 19 fewer than the 248 currently authorised. State-wide, this is the second highest disparity behind the Goldfields-Esperance District, which is understaffed by 29 officers. Mr Kirkup, who has previously promised 1200 extra police across WA if elected, said the Liberal Party would commit to ensure full police staffing if it wins government in March. Liberal candidate for Geraldton Rob Dines welcomed the commitment saying the city had a “big issue” with drugs, crime and antisocial behaviour. “There’s no denying there’s a massive drug problem in this town,” he said. “It’s a massive problem for our local police to deal with.” “We have a responsibility to ensure police in this district are fully staffed.” However, Mid West Gascoyne District Superintendent Roger Beer told the Geraldton Guardian on Monday that overall crime had dropped significantly this year. “Our latest numbers are showing a 24 percent drop in the last six months on top of a massive drop during the COVID-19 lockdowns,” he said. “We’re not close to the same point it was this time last year.” Police Minister Michelle Roberts said Mr Kirkup and Mr Dines were “distorting the facts” for political advantage and to stoke fear in the community. “Vacancies were in fact higher when Mr Kirkup’s party were in office,” she said. “There are, in fact, 24 more officers on the ground in the Mid West Gascoyne than there were under the Liberals. “Overall when you compare last year to when crime peaked under the Liberals in 2015, there are in fact 119 fewer offences in Geraldton.” She said burglaries were down 29 per cent, car thefts down a massive 71 per cent and stealing offences down 40 per cent since 2015. Mr Kirkup’s announcement comes as part of a $500 million plan to bolster WA Police resources which would include 300 extra police officers hired for regional WA. He said the plan would repair the neglect of rural and regional communities by ensuring all regional police districts, currently understaffed, will operate at full capacity. The plan also outlined a dedicated Sexual Offenders Management Squad office in Geraldton to track the movements of sexual offenders living in the community.