In the leadup to the 2023–24 Budget next week, the ACT government has announced what it calls the single largest investment ever made in ACT Policing: more than $107 million to recruit 126 ACT Policing personnel over the next five years, and hold an additional annual recruit course every year for the next five years.

“The ACT government’s historic investment in ACT Policing underscores its unwavering commitment to public safety and the wellbeing of the community,” Chief Minister Andrew Barr said.

The new officers will be deployed across suburban growth areas such as Molonglo and Gungahlin, and established areas such as Tuggeranong, Woden, Weston Creek, Belconnen, and Central Canberra.

“By strengthening our police numbers and providing essential resources, we empower our officers to confront the evolving challenges of crime prevention and enforcement effectively,” Mr Barr said.

This includes addressing recidivist offenders, Mick Gentleman, ACT Minister for Police and Emergency Services, said.

The funding will also provide more vehicles, body-worn cameras, and operational equipment.

The Australian Federal Police Association (AFPA) supported the investment, which had been a long time coming, president Alex Caruana said. However, he said the 126 extra police were needed now, not over five years.

“ACT Policing has been under-resourced for a long time, which directly contributes to serious welfare issues for many of my members,” Mr Caruana said.

The Report on Government Services, published in February, showed that despite an overall increase in expenditure and staffing, the ACT had the fewest police officers and the lowest recurrent expenditure per 100,000 people in the country.

The AFPA called then for 300 more police personnel, while Mr Caruana stated last year that police are fatigued and losing morale because they are overstretched.

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“While 126 extra police officers are good, being rationed out over five years is not. ACT Policing and the community need all 126 members today. Sadly, I anticipate ACT Policing will lose around this same number of police officers by 2028.

“Retirement, attrition, promotions, and other career movements on top of an increase in service calls mean that the ACT government and ACT Policing cannot continue to ignore police numbers. There needs to be an ongoing assessment and review — the number of police officers in the ACT won’t really increase otherwise. This imposes a negative outcome on the community and ACT Policing members.”

Canberra Liberals MLA Jeremy Hanson, Shadow Minister for Police, was glad the ACT government finally acknowledged the ACT needed more police, but, like Mr Caruana, he believed the extra police should be recruited immediately.

“The Canberra Liberals have said that we need over 100 more police, and we’ve been saying it for years, but the government’s been denying that – they’ve been lying to us for years, saying that we have enough police.”

In February, Mr Hanson’s motion for a Legislative Assembly committee to examine ACT police numbers and resourcing – which he claimed had declined since the government removed $15 million for police from the budget in 2013 – was defeated. So was a motion last year for the government to increase the number of police to match per-capita levels with NSW by 2024, and to adequately resource ACT Policing to re-establish face-to-face crime reporting and investigation.

The government’s position was that it invested more than $33 million in police in 2019–20 to reform the police, and recruit 69 staff (more than 40 were recruited last year), and that it would review resourcing for police as the ACT grew.

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“So it’s great that they’re finally telling the truth, that they recognise that there’s a problem,” Mr Hanson said. “But spread over five years – it’s a bit in the never-never…

“As the [AFPA] has said, what about all the police that are leaving? They are leaving in droves. So is this just going to be robbing Peter to pay Paul and playing catch-up? We need more police on the beat right now, and that’s clearly not going to happen.”

Where, Mr Hanson demanded, were the 70 [69] new staff promised in the 2019 budget, the last time the ACT government announced more police? According to Mr Hanson, in fact, the number of sworn ACT officers has fallen.

An additional Police Ambulance and Clinician Early Response (PACER) team will be available daily throughout the ACT, enabling “a more vigilant and responsive approach to mental health support”, the government states.

Mr Caruana welcomed this announcement of additional funding. In his view, PACER offered more effective support for people with mental health-related issues.

“PACER is a world-leading paradigm for mental health response, proven to work and offer better outcomes for mental health patients and police,” Mr Caruana said. “This funding will ensure that PACER continues to operate and expand in alignment with population increases in the ACT.”

The staffing profile at the ACT Watch House will be increased, to better assure the safety and security of individuals held in custody and police officers, the government states.

The government will conduct a feasibility study for police stations in the Woden and City districts, and for the ACT Policing headquarters, to ensure that police operate from modern and fit-for-purpose facilities.

Mr Caruana said that Molonglo needed a dedicated police station. Last year, the AFPA said that Woden Station’s patrol zone was large, and covered a lot of territory, including Hume, Kingston, Uriarra Crossing, and Denman Prospect, putting pressure on the “already stretched” Woden patrol.

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“I note that funding for a fire and ambulance station for the Molonglo Valley has been included,” he said. “I question the rationale behind not also funding a dedicated police station; the Woden patrol zone is already enormous, and the Molonglo Valley is increasing in size and population. Wouldn’t it be wise to create an emergency services precinct with a new police station to cater for this expansion?”

Mr Hanson said: “We need more police on the ground, and that’s both to respond to crime, but also to prevent crime. When did you last see a police officer out in your area? You need to see more police there all the time on the beat. And we need to make sure that in places like Molonglo, a growing area, that if there is an incident, you’re not waiting for a policeman or policewoman to come out from Woden.

“I saw this just on the weekend: I was driving along Hindmarsh, and a police car was trying to get through the lights to go from the Woden station all the way down to Molonglo. It’s a long way to go. It’s too far. That’s why we continue to call for a new station out at Molonglo to service that growing area, and the government is again dragging its feet.”

Mr Caruana said he was also concerned by the state of the Gungahlin Joint Emergency Services Centre (JESC) and the lack of progress towards the next iteration of Gungahlin’s emergency services capabilities and infrastructure.

“At this point in time, the policing component of the JESC isn’t fit for purpose, and I’m not sure how much longer members can put up with the poor conditions,” Mr Caruana said.

“It’s not fair that they have to eat their meals on the same table used for sorting exhibits. New police stations must become a priority for the ACT government; we need to see sod turned and bricks laid, not more feasibility studies.”

Other police stations were also in bad nick.

“City Police Station is well past its use-by date and leaks like a sieve when it rains,” Mr Caruana said. “The Winchester Police Centre isn’t much better.”