Police Minister Paul Papalia today announced 12 additional police officers are being sent to the Kimberley to help tackle juvenile crime.
The extra officers arrived in Broome this week and will be deployed throughout the Kimberley by the District Superintendent according to operational needs.
The additional support has been made available from the State Government’s $3.5 million Operation Heat Shield.
It will boost current police efforts to target property and vehicle related crime by identifying, locating and arresting active offenders, as well as providing a visible police presence at times when volume crime is occurring.
Since the McGowan Government took office, there are an extra 33 police officers stationed in the Kimberley, compared to the Liberal National Government’s last year in office.
The McGowan Government is recruiting 950 additional police officers over four years – the biggest single injection in police numbers in the State’s history.
As stated by Police Minister Paul Papalia:
“I want to commend police officers in the Kimberley for their dedication to tackling crime and protecting the community in what has been a challenging environment of late.
“These extra officers will support local police efforts in addressing youth crime issues.
“I want to thank the local member who is a strong advocate for her local community and has been working with the local superintendent on these matters.
“We must work together as a community to reduce youth offending and divert young people away from a life of crime in the first instance.
“The McGowan Government remains strongly focused on supporting programs like PCYC and other initiatives which engage young people in a positive way.”
