GPS Monitoring Failure Past Regions
SYSTEM-WIDE FAILURE OF GPS MONITORING EXPOSED BEYOND THE REGIONS
The WA Police Union has joined the chorus of criticism of the Cook Labor Government’s failure to deliver a functional GPS monitoring system, claiming a lack of resourcing is frustrating police officers responding to breaches of high-risk criminals and defendants.
“The Premier’s excuse that mobile blackspots are to blame for GPS monitoring failures has collapsed under the weight of its own mismanagement,” Shadow Minister for Police, Corrective Services and Youth Adam Hort said.
“It’s now clear this is not just a regional problem; this is a state-wide failure of leadership, staffing, and resourcing.
“Today’s revelations show that Labor’s promise - that breaches would trigger an immediate alert and rapid police response - was either dangerously naive or deliberately misleading.
"Victim-survivors were promised protection. In reality, they’ve been left exposed by a broken system.”
Despite laws passed last year promising to monitor high-risk family and domestic violence offenders with GPS tracking devices, the WA Police Union has now confirmed there are serious failures across the system.
Because police must first obtain a warrant, officers have reported delays of up to 6 to 12 hours before acting on GPS breaches, even in metropolitan areas.
Compounding the problem, the Cook Government only began urgently recruiting monitoring staff after the failures were exposed, despite the Premier’s ongoing public denials that staffing shortages exist.
Mr Hort said the situation stands in stark contrast to the promises made when the GPS tracking laws were first introduced.
“When mandatory GPS tracking came into force in December, then-Police Minister Paul Papalia stood in Parliament and promised that 'any breach of an offender's restricted movements generates an immediate alert and officers will respond rapidly,’” Mr Hort said.
“The Cook Government must fix the warrant process, properly staff enforcement operations, and be honest with the community about the scale of the failure.
“Every day they delay, they leave vulnerable West Australians at risk.”
