Elise Archer MP

The revelation today that police officers will be taken off the street to process firearm renewal applications shows just how out of touch David O’Byrne is.

David O’Byrne is not up to the task of being Police Minister if he cannot accept that taking police officers off the streets to fill out forms instead of fighting crime will impact on public safety and the safety of our police officers.

We have already seen police recruitment courses cut indefinitely, the slashing of frontline jobs, the police car fleet and mobile phones, and speed cameras left unattended, due to Minister O’Byrne slashing $8 million from the police budget this financial year alone.

It is time the Police Minister took responsibility for these serious ramifications which are a direct result of his short-sighted budget cuts.

This is just one more example of Tasmanians being made to pay for the Green-Labor Government’s budget incompetence.

Elise Archer MP
Shadow Minister for Police and Emergency Management
Thursday, 19 January 2012