Minister 'confident' of filling Katanning vacancies

Police Minister Liza Harvey says her department is working with WA Police, the WA Police Union and officers on the beat to fill vacant positions in the State’s south.

On a tour of the South West last Wednesday, which included Katanning Police Station, Ms Harvey, who took over the portfolio in June, told the Great Southern Herald she was “confident we’ll get to the bottom of it and be able to fill the vacancies”.

In August the Great Southern Herald reported there were a “significant” number of vacancies at Katanning Police Station, making up a large portion of up to 10 vacant positions in the South West police district.

But the minster has said she was “perplexed” at the reports that officers in these positions were dissatisfied.

“They are all quite happy to be here and they like being part of the community… for a lot of them it was actually a bit of a hurdle to decide to come to a country posting, now that they’re here they think it’s great,” Ms Harvey said. “It’s all community involvement and that’s where you get results,” she said.

Ms Harvey said that the system of relief officers covering the vacant positions would continue for the time being but a stable force in the town was the ultimate goal.

“I’m trying to look at attraction and retention policies… it’s just a matter of trying to find a position that everyone is comfortable with,” she said.