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Parliamentary Questions


Question On Notice No. 2407 asked in the Legislative Council on 20 August 2019 by Hon Alison Xamon

Question Directed to the: Minister for Environment representing the Minister for Police
Parliament: 40 Session: 1


Question

For each financial year from 2015 to 2018 inclusive, I ask:
(a) how many people were held in regional police facilities for fine default;
(b) how many of the individuals from (a) were women;
(c) how many of the individuals from (a) were classified as unemployed at the time of incarceration;
(d) how many of the individuals from (a) identified as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander;
(e) how many of the individuals from (d):
(i) were women; and
(ii) were classified as unemployed; and
(f) in which police lock-ups were the individuals from (a) held?

Answered on 24 September 2019

Western Australian Police Force advise:

(a) The number of persons held in police custody in regional locations for fine default, broken down by financial year and episode type.

 

                        Registration Only             Admission

2015-16                       92                              234

2016-17                       149                            335

2017-18                       123                            232

2018-19                       44                              126

 

Each time a person is taken into police custody an episode is registered. For the purposes of this response there are two types of custody episodes:

• Registration only – an episode in which the person is under the direct, physical supervision of an officer at all times and is not placed into a cell, holding room, or other secure location.

• Admission – an episode in which the person is placed into a cell, holding room, or other secure location not under the direct, physical supervision of an officer at all times.

An episode is concluded when a person is released from police custody.

Note that people are typically registered in field locations and admitted in Western Australia Police Force custodial facilities, but in some cases they are admitted in other field locations.

 

(b) The number of women held in police custody in regional locations for fine default, broken down by financial year and episode type.

 

Registered Only               Admitted

2015-16                       25                               76

2016-17                       47                               88

2017-18                       36                               62

2018-19                       9                                 23

 

(c) Employment status is not captured in the custody process.

 

(d) The number of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander persons held in police custody in regional locations for fine default, broken down by financial year and episode type.

Note: Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander ethnicity is determined by stated ethnicity and where stated ethnicity is not available by ethnic appearance.

 

                        Registered Only               Admitted

2015-16                       53                                137

2016-17                       83                                191

2017-18                       75                                142

2018-19                       29                                78

 

(e) The number of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander persons held in police custody in regional locations for fine default, broken down by financial year and episode type – broken down for:

(i) Women

 

                        Registered Only               Admitted

2015-16                       17                          55

2016-17                       32                          60

2017-18                       22                          46

2018-19                       5                            15

 

(ii) Employment status is not captured in the custody process.

 

(f) The number of persons admitted into police custody in regional locations for fine default, broken down by financial year and location admitted.

Admission Location

2015-16

2016-17

2017-18

2018-19

Albany Police Station

0

12

8

7

Augusta Police Station

0

0

2

0

Australind Police Station

2

3

0

0

Balgo - Other

0

0

0

1

Balgo Multi Functional Police Facility

0

2

1

0

Barrow Island Police Station

0

1

0

0

Bidyadanga Multi Functional Police Facility

1

0

0

0

Boddington - Other

0

0

1

0

Boulder - Other

0

0

1

0

Bridgetown Police Station

0

1

1

1

Brookton Police Station

0

1

0

0

Broome Police Station

16

20

18

3

Bruce Rock Police Station

0

1

0

0

Bulgarra - Other

1

0

0

0

Bunbury Police Station

26

47

22

14

Burringurrah Multi Functional Police Facility

0

1

0

0

Busselton - Other

0

1

0

0

Busselton Police Station

7

10

10

5

Carnarvon - Other

1

0

0

0

Carnarvon Police Station

11

7

2

7

Collie - Other

1

0

0

0

Collie Police Station

4

4

0

2

Coolgardie Police Station

1

0

0

0

Cranbrook Police Station

0

1

2

0

Cue Police Station

2

1

1

0

Cunderdin Police Station

0

1

0

0

Dalwallinu Police Station

0

1

1

0

Denmark Police Station

0

0

1

0

Derby - Other

0

1

0

0

Derby Police Station

15

13

11

4

Dongara Police Station

0

1

1

0

Donnybrook Police Station

0

1

1

0

Dunsborough - Other

0

0

0

1

Dunsborough Police Station

1

0

0

0

Esperance - Other

0

0

1

0

Esperance Police Station

4

6

5

1

Exmouth Police Station

1

0

0

0

Fitzroy Crossing - Other

0

0

1

0

Fitzroy Crossing Police Station

2

9

12

3

Geraldton Police Station

34

54

30

20

Gingin Police Station

0

1

0

0

Gnowangerup Police Station

0

1

0

0

Halls Creek Police Station

11

14

6

1

Harvey Police Station

1

2

0

0

Jigalong Multi Functional Police Facility

1

0

0

0

Jurien Bay Police Station

1

2

2

0

Kalgoorlie Police Station

15

11

10

5

Kambalda Police Station

0

0

1

0

Karratha Police Station

9

10

7

4

Katanning Police Station

1

4

0

2

Kellerberrin Police Station

0

0

1

0

Kojonup Police Station

1

0

0

1

Kondinin Police Station

0

2

0

0

Kununurra - Other

0

1

0

0

Kununurra Police Station

14

14

16

11

Lancelin Police Station

0

2

0

0

Laverton Police Station

1

0

0

0

Leeman Police Station

2

0

0

0

Leonora - Other

0

0

1

0

Leonora Police Station

2

0

0

0

Looma Multi Functional Police Facility

0

0

2

0

Manjimup Police Station

0

3

2

1

Margaret River Police Station

0

1

1

1

Meekatharra Police Station

2

6

0

3

Merredin Police Station

0

4

0

1

Moora Police Station

2

1

1

0

Morawa Police Station

0

1

0

0

Mount Barker Police Station

0

1

2

0

Mullewa Police Station

0

2

1

1

Narrogin Police Station

4

5

1

1

Newman Police Station

2

7

9

1

Norseman Police Station

1

0

0

0

Northam Police Station

9

11

5

2

Onslow Police Station

0

1

0

2

Pemberton Police Station

0

1

0

0

Pingelly Police Station

0

0

1

0

Quairading Police Station

0

1

0

1

Roebourne - Other

0

0

1

0

Roebourne Police Station

2

2

1

2

Shark Bay Police Station

0

0

0

1

South Hedland - Other

1

0

1

0

South Hedland Police Station

14

15

23

12

Southern Cross Police Station

1

0

0

0

Three Springs Police Station

0

2

1

0

Tom Price Police Station

0

1

2

1

Toodyay Police Station

0

0

0

1

Wagin Police Station

2

1

1

0

Walpole Police Station

1

0

0

0

Warburton Multi Functional Police Facility

1

0

0

0

Warmun Multi Functional Police Facility

1

0

1

1

Waroona Police Station

2

0

0

0

West Busselton - Other

0

0

0

1

West Kimberley - Other

0

1

0

0

Williams Police Station

0

1

0

0

Wiluna Police Station

1

0

0

0

Wundowie Police Station

0

1

0

0

York Police Station

0

2

0

0

Note: figures exclude registration only episodes.

 

Statistics are provisional and subject to revision.

Figures of persons for registration only custody episodes are of people registered within the period of 1 July 2015 and 30 June 2019 with a registration reason of ‘Warrant of Commitment’ and a registering officer recorded against a Regional Western Australia district. Registration only episodes exclude episodes where the person was admitted into custody.

Figures of persons for admission custody episodes are of people admitted into custody within the period of 1 July 2015 and 30 June 2019 with an admission reason of ‘Warrant of Commitment’ and a custody location in a Regional Western Australia district.

Count of persons is based on the person’s identifier at the time of recording.

If multiple persons are detained in association with the same matter then a separate custody episode will be created for each person.  Where counts of the number of unique persons have been used an individual will only be included once in any specific value.

Ethnicity is predominantly based on the stated ethnicity of the person as recorded in the Incident Management System. Where stated ethnicity is missing or unknown, the ethnic appearance recorded at the time of the episode has been used

Gender is based on that stated by the person and (where possible), confirmed through identifying information.

Custody admissions can occur both within a WA Police Force custodial facility and in other field locations (e.g. residential and business addresses). Other locations have been grouped against the suburb of the location and labelled “other.

Where a person has had multiple admission episodes within a financial year but at different admission locations, they will be counted once against each location.