POLICE —
FREMANTLE POLICE STATION
173. Hon SIMON O'BRIEN to the minister representing
the Minister for Police:
My question is to the Leader of the
House representing the Minister for Police. Sorry—I was getting ahead
of myself—it is to the Minister for
Environment representing the Minister for Police, who will go a long way in due
course.
(1) What is the government doing to
provide secure police vehicle accommodation in Fremantle?
(2) What solutions is the government
pursuing to provide a fit-for-purpose police station in Fremantle?
Hon
STEPHEN DAWSON replied:
The honourable member's
thoughts might change after I provide this answer. I thank the honourable
member for some notice of the question. The
following answer has been provided to me by the Minister for Police; Road
Safety.
(1)–(2) When
the old Fremantle station was closed by the now Leader of the Opposition, our
Fremantle police officers were put into an unsuitable former bank building with
insufficient parking and no plan or money put
on budget for a new station. The McGowan government has been working to fix the
mess we inherited. Last year, the Western Australia Police Force, in
conjunction with the Department of Finance, undertook an expression of interest process. Police have also been working with
the City of Fremantle on an appropriate site. A suitable site for a state-of-the-art complex for Fremantle officers
has been identified. As negotiations are currently underway, further
details will be announced in due course. The Western Australia Police Force
advise that it is working on options to secure police vehicles in the short
term until a new Fremantle police complex is constructed.