$18.6 million to reduce SAPOL response time

Dozens more patrol cars, ballistic vests, additional firearms, radios and tablets have been rolled out across South Australia Police as part of Stage 2 of the Police Commissioner’s District Policing Model (DPM).

The Marshall Government provided more than $18.6 million in the last budget for implementation of the model to enhance SAPOL’s ability to respond to community calls for assistance.

This funding was part of the Marshall Government’s investment of more than $52 million to build South Australia’s security.

Stage 2 of the DPM also sees the general duties workforce restructured to allow for a higher number of uniform members during times of peak demand.

The combination of Response and District Policing Teams (DPT) will build a highly visible, accessible and consistent police presence across the metropolitan area. Response Teams will be dedicated to attending urgent matters, while DPT deployment will be intelligence led and focus on areas of known crime and recidivist offenders.

Minister for Police Corey Wingard said this is all about reducing crime, supporting our police officers and making South Australia safe and secure. “Since coming into government two years ago, we’ve invested heavily in our police force because we know the safety and security of our state is of the upmost importance,” the Minister said.

“Police Commissioner Grant Stevens has made it clear this model is the best way to reduce response times and keep South Australians safe.

“Our goal, ultimately, is to drive the crime rate down as low as possible to ensure that those in our community feel safe and protected.

“The Marshall Government gave the green light to this model in the 2019-20 State Budget with an investment of $18.6 million. “It will ensure more cops are put back on the beat and more equipment is made available and rolled out across the force.”

A full list of the new equipment that has been rolled out to police:

  • 40 patrol cars
  • 100 ballistic vests
  • 16 firearms
  • 78 radios
  • 104 electronic control devices
  • 40 in car tablets

An additional 200 body worn video cameras will also be rolled out in the coming months.

Stage 1 of the DPM, implemented in 2018, transitioned six metropolitan Local Service Areas to four Districts and created larger, more flexible workgroups supported by centralised functions. The four Districts have been structured to manage equal levels of demand.

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