The Cook Labor Government’s appalling record on law and orders continues with the latest WA Police statistics showing violent crime continues to escalate.

Shadow Police Minister Peter Collier said the latest statistics to the end of the September quarter showed crime was out of control throughout Western Australia.

“The most disturbing fact surrounds the 40 per cent increase in domestic violence offences over the past five years,” Mr Collier said.

“This is at a time when there have been multiple deaths and serious offences as a result of domestic violence.

“It’s an absolute failure of the Cook Labor Government that with a significant increase in domestic violence related offences, our WA Police force remains so under-resourced with the number of officers dedicated to family violence less than it was two years ago.”

Crimes against the person and assaults have also skyrocketed with a 12 per cent increase on the five-year average.

Drug offences were down on the five-year average due to the COVID border closures but are also up from the previous financial year to date.

“I am in no doubt that the Minister for Police and the Labor government will point to the drop in drug offences over the five-year average as a vanity exercise however, it must be remembered that the only reason that there has been a decline in this area over the longer term is because of the closed borders during COVID.

“The last couple of years show these offences, along with property offences, is escalating once again.

“The simple fact remains that Western Australians are less safe today walking the streets than they were five years ago. This is all because the Minister and the Labor government have forgotten how to govern.”

Mr Collier said the Corrective Services portfolio was a slow-moving train wreck and the same Minister responsible had taken his eye off the ball in Police portfolio.

“It’s all good and well to talk about the number of overseas applications, however, this amounts to nothing when hundreds of disillusioned police officers continue to walk out of the door.

“We have had the highest number of police officer resignations in the force’s 189-year history.

“The Minister’s only answer cannot be to just jump on a plane and try and poach more officers from overseas.

“If the government was serious about retaining police and addressing the scourge of violent crime and family and domestic violence it would start by trying to improve the culture and morale within the existing workforce to address the significant fatigue and burnout.”