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Monday, March 14, 2011

Australia - ALP's challenge: cop this..

OFF THE WIRE
Heath Aston
 smh.com.au
Incumbent NSW Labor Premier Kristina Keneally at Kings Cross to announce a Law and Order innitiative.
Siren call ... Kristina Keneally stands beside a police car yesterday
in Kings Cross where she foreshadowed new Labor law
and order initiatives. Photo: Adam Hollingworth
DESPERATE for even the slightest bounce in the polls, Kristina Keneally will try to draw Barry O'Farrell into a ''tough on crime'' election auction with a $60 million pledge for NSW police.
Today the Premier revealed a re-elected Labor government would add 230 new police officers and establish a permanent squad known as the ''outlaw motorcycle gangs unit'' to target bikies and their criminal associates.
With a crushing victory in sight, the Coalition has so far refused to join in a law and order auction as in previous election campaigns.
Advertisement: Story continues below But last night it pledged to replace every bulletproof vest in the police force, about 2000 pieces of equipment. Opposition Leader Barry O'Farrell will promise an extra $4 million to replace the vests which are almost 15 years old.
Under shadow attorney-general Greg Smith - a former deputy director of public prosecutions - the Coalition has struck a softer chord on law and order, focusing on ways to slash the NSW prison population by a fifth before it pushes past 11,000.
The Coalition has promised no extra police but has pledged to establish a special drug treatment facility for 300, redirect more police back into highway patrol duties and spend $69 million to upgrade and/or build five police stations.
Ms Keneally unveiled Labor's law and order policy with the promise that a permanent bikie unit would extend the success of Strike Force Raptor which has made more than 1240 arrests and laid more than 2700 charges since it was established in March 2009. "Creating a permanent unit to target outlaw motorcycle gangs within the gangs squad is an important step forward in the fight against gang-related crime - it means more firearms, drugs and criminals taken off our streets," Ms Keneally said.
She said Mr O'Farrell's small-target policies had neglected police officers: ''He's made no commitment to a single additional police officer. He's very good at promises, reviews and motherhood statements.''
There would be 360 extra police, which includes 230 new police and 129 detectives already promised by this year. This would push numbers to more than 16,000 for the first time.
Reports last week suggested police believed they needed 856 new officers, mainly in regional areas.The new police recruits would include officers in highway patrol and general duties, as well as 15 officers in the firearms and organised crime squad, 14 in the Middle Eastern organised crime squad, three in the counter terrorism command and 10 in the sex crimes squad.
Mr O'Farrell said the police had been ''starved of decent resources'' during 16 years of Labor government in NSW.
''It is appalling that our officers are going out and risking their lives with outdated [bulletproof] vests,'' he said. ''We are going to equip our police with state-of-the-art vests which give them the protection they need.''