Tasmania Police has removed the overnight availability allowance for Kingston Division personnel as part of a decision to improve response times and safety while reducing costs.

Commander of the Southern District, Peter Edwards, said response times will be enhanced with Hobart officers providing coverage for the Kingston Police Station out of hours, because a recall for staff from Kingston results in personnel travelling from their home to the station, collecting equipment and then responding to the incident.

“Hobart officers will be already on duty, fully equipped and on the road, ready to respond and within a travelling distance of approximately 12 kilometres of Kingston,” Commander Edwards said.

“Hobart already covers some out of hours calls for the Kingston area and this approach has proven to work well.”

Commander Edwards said staff had been consulted about the change and understood the rationale behind the decision.

“In terms of officer safety, Hobart deployments include two members, whereas availability arrangements involve payment for one officer on-call,” he said.

“It’s important to note that Kingston CIB, which operates from the Kingston Police Station, will continue to remain on availability and therefore be available to respond to after hours crime if required.  Huonville Police will also still be available for recall, as will outstations across the division.

“We prioritise attendance and urgent matters will always receive a priority response.

“Consultation with Hobart and Kingston Police Stations and Radio Dispatch Services has not identified any concerns.  However, we will continue to monitor crime rates and response times as a matter of course and should there be a requirement to change this approach, we will do so accordingly.”

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