Frustrated WA Police insiders fear staff shortages are hampering operations of the family violence teams

Frustrated police insiders have raised fears chronic staff shortages are hampering operations of the force’s family violence teams as domestic offences soar across WA. In an alarming letter sent to the West Australian, a police whistleblower claimed family violence-related cases were at risk of not being investigated thoroughly and quickly enough as a result of WA Police staffing pressures. But deputy police commissioner Allan Adams has defended the staffing model used in family violence cases while asserting police on their own can’t solve a significant problem that’s wreaking “damage” across the whole of Australia. It comes in the wake of last week’s alleged murder of Kewdale mother-of-two Emmerich Lasakar which has yet again shone a spotlight on WA’s horror rate of family-related violence. The whistleblower’s letter revealed police family violence teams — of which there are 17 across WA — are structured in a way so that only some of the officers attached to the teams are classed as full-time, with the remaining positions filled by “seconded” officers who are rotated in and out of the teams. The author — a serving WA Police officer — claimed many of the rotational positions were not being filled, which was leading to gaps in the system. “Many of the secondment positions have not been backfilled, meaning the teams cannot do the tasks required to fully commit to reducing family violence,” the letter stated. “They (the officers) are frustrated each day because they can’t commit to reducing incidents of family violence, and it is just getting worse now with even more reduced staffing. “This is why people are leaving the police, because those on the ground who know what works and what doesn’t, are not being listened to.” But the deputy police commissioner, in an exclusive interview with The West, strenuously defended the model. Mr Adams confirmed some of the teams were affected by vacancies and that some of the family violence team positions were being filled on a rotational basis. “We’ve taken two of those positions and made them rotate through,” he said. “Obviously our attrition across WA Police is well-known, so there are instances when there is a vacancy in one or more of those teams but that’s the limit that we enable it to be, a maximum of one vacancy at the moment. “I’m really confident that the response from the family violence teams is sound. “I’m comfortable with the response of police to the vast majority of incidents (but) we are always looking to be better. “Certainly, by putting people through our family violence teams to better understand the full suite of family violence needs … hopefully, will increase the quality of the first response and (allow officers to) make better decisions. “There has been no feedback to me that this isn’t working.” Mr Adams said one of the family violence teams’ main functions was to better investigate family violence incidents which were being attended to by other front-line officers, and to liaise more closely with other government and non-government agencies working in the same space. “Police alone are never going to solve family violence,” he said. “It’s a whole community issue and largely men need to take account, we know overwhelmingly men are the perpetrators, that is very clear from the data.” Mr Adams said there were no immediate plans to expand the number of family violence teams or the officers attached to each team at present. “Certainly, at the moment we are comfortable with the capacity of those teams to deal with what is coming down from the frontline,” he said, adding police were committed to fixing the issue both from an enforcement perspective and through referral processes. “We’ve got to try and fix the major protagonist which is the male of the relationship,” Mr Adams said. “As a result .... with police being more heavily involved both from an enforcement (perspective) but also referral to get assistance, just speaks volumes to try and counter the damage that those perpetrators cause.” Reported family and domestic violence-related assault offences against women have been rising since 2018 with WA recording the highest per capita incidence of any state. The tragic death of Ms Lasakar captured the headlines last week when she was found inside her Knutsford Avenue after one of her children called triple-0. Her partner Steven Dean, 37, was taken to Royal Perth Hospital after he crashed his car in St James, about an hour later. On Friday he was charged with Ms Lasakar’s murder, plus other several other serious offences including attempted aggravated armed robbery and reckless driving. He’s been remanded in custody ahead of another court appearance on Wednesday, April 26. During Mr Dean’s brief court appearance in Northbridge Magistrates Court on Saturday morning, defence counsel Darryl Ryan said his client was still receiving treatment for his injuries and was expected to remain in hospital for some time. “He is aware of the charges, he’s not in a good state,” Mr Ryan told Magistrate Brian Gluestein. “It’s going to take him some time to recover from his injuries.” Mr Ryan said his client had undergone surgery for a fractured pelvis on Friday and wore a neck brace for a fractured neck. Ms Lasakar’s heartbroken family members have started a GoFundMe page to help with funeral costs. “For those who knew Emmerich, her smile was as bright as the sun,” her sister Delsi Sofyanti said on the page. “It was an expression of warmth and love, a reminder of the world could be beautiful and wonderful even in the midst of sorrow. “Even though she is no longer with us, her memory lives on in our hearts.”

Frustrated WA Police insiders fear staff shortages are hampering operations of the family violence teams

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