Member for Geraldton, Kirrilee Warr MLA, has used her first question in Parliament to raise urgent concerns regarding the failure to effectively implement GPS monitoring for serial family and domestic violence offenders in Geraldton and the broader Mid-West region.
Ms Warr highlighted recent reports from the WA Police Union and media outlets which revealed significant issues with the operation of electronic monitoring in regional areas.
“This included a lack of police resourcing, poor mobile coverage impacting the effectiveness of GPS monitoring, delays in issuing warrants, and WA Police being called on to do routine maintenance, including replacing batteries on monitoring devices,” Ms Warr said.
“This is a critical issue for Geraldton, the Mid-West, and regional WA, where victim-survivors of family and domestic violence were promised increased safety through GPS monitoring of serial offenders.
“Unfortunately, the Cook Labor Government has failed to deliver on this promise, and victim-survivors are being let down. Despite the assurances made to keep women and families safe, this essential tool is clearly not working as it should in regional areas.”
Ms Warr directly questioned the Police Minister in Parliament, seeking clarity on concerns raised by WA Police officers, the Police Commissioner, and the WA Police Union, and called for immediate action to address the gaps in the regional GPS monitoring system.
“The Police Minister must take swift action to resolve the resource and operational failures which are leaving women and families at risk in Geraldton and across the Mid-West,” she said.
Ms Warr said the Minister’s response was deeply disappointing.
“It was utterly shameful for the Police Minister to deflect responsibility onto the Minister for Corrective Services.
“His response lacked any real assurances that the Government is taking the issue seriously, and he appeared to be unaware of recent reports from the WA Police Union and the media that detail failures in the regions.
“While I support the implementation of GPS monitoring for serial family and domestic violence offenders, it is clear that the Police Minister has failed to ensure this system works effectively in regional areas.”
Ms Warr said WA Police crime statistics show a staggering increase in family and domestic violence incidents since the WA Labor Government took office in 2017.
“Family and domestic violence in Geraldton has surged by over 200 per cent since 2017, with more than 1,400 family assaults and 619 charges of threatening behaviour related to families just last year. This is a dramatic increase from around 700 charges in 2017.”
Ms Warr said she would accept the Minister’s invitation to visit the WA Police’s new State Operations Command Centre in Perth to observe how GPS monitoring is being carried out.
