Given the unique nature of Cairns, the tyranny of distance and the unique nature of policing in FNQ it is clear that it makes sense to base a police helicopter in Cairns. Below is the media release in full.
QUEENSLAND PARTY CALLS FOR POLICE HELICOPTER FOR CAIRNS
The Queensland Party candidate for Cairns, Darren Hunt has welcomed the Premiers back flip on providing Queensland police with a trial helicopter to address the epidemic of crime on the Gold Coast and called for one to be based in Cairns to service Far North Queensland.
“For years the government has denied the need for a police helicopter and now that they keep getting bad press, all of a sudden we do need one. Even the Police Minister has no idea. He is still trotting out the tired old line that extending the Government fixed wing fleet is the top priority. The fixed wing craft are a transport vehicle, nothing more, and these functions can be performed by other operators. A police helicopter on the other hand is a strategic operational tool. When was the last time a fleeing criminal was captured using a fixed wing aircraft compared to a helicopter? This shows how out of the touch the Police Minister is.”
“The Queensland Party has been calling for a fleet of strategically based helicopters to service the state. Of course it makes sense to have the first one based in South East Queensland. But there should also be one based in Cairns to service the Far North due to our diverse area and the tyranny of distance. Police currently rely on other agencies, such as Emergency Management Queensland and the Australian Defense Force, but this is not always an option and may not be a higher priority than that departments’ core business.”
“ With a Special Emergency Response Team(SERT) based in Cairns there is an operational need to be able to transport these highly trained staff in a rapid and effective manner. I have seen firsthand the difficulties involved during times of civil unrest and how it can be very difficult for a fixed wing aircraft to deliver police re-enforcements in remote areas.”
“Another reason one should be based in Cairns in the legislative changes that were made in terms of the states Disaster Management structure and the increased role that police now have in that. Given these changes, and the regular exposure of Far North Queensland to natural disasters such as Cyclones Yasi, Larry etc., there is a clear need for a police helicopter to be based in Cairns to perform these operational duties imposed by the government previously handled by other departments.”
“The other reason a helicopter is needed in Cairns is the current policies and procedures relating to pursuits. The government has tied the police hands in terms of pursuits, but not given them the tools to deal with these changes. We have seen numerous chases in recent times in Cairns, Innisfail and other areas. Police need to be able to catch murderers, armed robbers and rapists and if these criminals know they can get away every time by initiating a pursuit, that’s what will happen. At least with a helicopter if the danger is too great to pursue by vehicle we have a back up in the air to follow and locate the offender/s and direct police in a safe and coordinated manner to the location.”
“We also don’t believe that rate payers should be slugged for a state government service. The government will straight away turn around and say we are making pie in the sky claims and where would we get the money from. That’s easy. Last year the Queensland Police Service gave back $16million of their budget, so we’d start there. Look at how much they gave back the year before that and a clear pattern emerges that it could be funded from current police budgets with no extra expenditure and no need to sponge of the rate payers of selected areas.”
Darren Hunt
Queensland Party candidate for Cairns
Police, Corrections and emergency services spokesperson
No comments:
Post a Comment