The Member for Ipswich West, Wendy Bourne, has called on the Crisafulli LNP Government to explain how it will meet the policing needs of her growing community amid ongoing staffing shortages and a fall in recruitment applications.
Ms Bourne has responded to reports from the Queensland Police Union identifying a reduction in applications to join the Queensland Police Service, while more than 700 positions across the state remain vacant and experienced special constables have had their shifts reduced.
“The Crisafulli Government likes to appear tough on crime, but effective enforcement depends on having enough police on the ground, and what we are seeing is fewer people applying to join the QPS while the Government has reportedly cut the shifts of experienced officers,” Ms Bourne said.
Ms Bourne said limiting special constable shifts while positions remained vacant risked placing further pressure on frontline officers, who are already managing extensive workloads.
“If you have hundreds of vacancies across the state, why would you give experienced officers who want to work fewer shifts? Our police need proper resourcing and backup so they can do their jobs and keep our communities safe.”
Emails provided to special constables suggest the available funding has been capped at $40,000 per officer per year, limiting them to around three shifts per 28-day roster cycle. Officers who have already reached that allocation have been advised they cannot receive further shifts until July 2027.
Police Minister Dan Purdie has since announced the Government is looking to expand the program into specialist roles, but has given no detail on funding or timing, or on whether the cap on shifts will be lifted in the face of mounting criticism.
“Expanding the Special Constables program won’t address the broader issue if experienced officers already in the program are still restricted in the number of shifts they can work,” Ms Bourne said.
“The Minister has yet to explain whether the $40,000 cap will remain or what happens to officers who have already reached it. Until the government provides those details, this announcement raises more questions than it answers.”
Ms Bourne said the announcement was a band-aid policy that failed to address falling recruitment and broader concerns about police staffing, calling for greater transparency around local police numbers, including vacancies, departures and the net increase in officers actually available to serve the community.
“Fewer people are applying to join the QPS, while experienced officers who want to work are having their shifts capped. The Government can roll out all the graduation photos it likes, but it hasn’t answered either of those problems,” Ms Bourne said.
“Queenslanders deserve to know whether police numbers are actually increasing once retirements and resignations are factored in.”
“That is particularly important in communities like Ipswich West, where rapid population growth is placing increasing pressure on local services, including policing. The Government needs to provide the full picture.”
With Ipswich City Council planning for an additional 49,000 residents in the Western Growth Corridor by 2046, Ms Bourne said the Government needed to demonstrate how local policing resources would keep pace with the demands of her rapidly growing electorate.
“The previous Labor Government planned and funded the Ripley Police Station, along with 30 officers, because we knew Ipswich was growing. Now that we are seeing similar levels of growth in the Western Corridor, these communities deserve to know what the Crisafulli Government’s plan is to ensure police numbers keep pace with growth.”
“Our community is growing and our police are already under enormous strain. The Crisafulli Government needs to address its recruitment challenges, keep experienced officers on side, and provide a clear plan to ensure high-growth areas, including Ipswich West, have the police resources they will need into the future.”
ENDS
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