Police will push duties relating to prisoner management and transportation back to other agencies.
With unprecedented staffing shortages and an unrelating workload, PANSW Branches have passed motions redirecting non-core duties to other agencies since 2024.
Once a prisoner is court-bail refused and remanded, responsibility for their custody transfers from police to Corrective Services.
But due to lack of capacity from other agencies, police officers in metropolitan PACs have held prisoners for extended periods in holding cells that are not fit for purpose. In regional PDs, police are often required to transport prisoners hundreds of kilometres to and from correctional facilities, guarding them during court appearances.
Expansion of the AVL centralized bail court without proper consultation will see workload changes for police regarding bail determinations.
As a result, the PANSW Executive has directed police officers to stop performing the following functions from Monday 7 July:
• Attending Correctional Facilities to collect and transport court bail refused prisoners.
• Attending court houses to guard court bail refused prisoners.
• Accepting court bail refused prisoners into police custody facilities from Corrective Services or Juvenile Justice.
Police will allow Corrective Services and Juvenile Justice to use police cell complexes when the CBR prisoner remains in the custody of Corrective Services Staff.
“For too many years, police have picked up the slack when it comes to prisoner management.” PANSW President Kevin Morton said.
“Once they’re court bail refused, the risk of transporting and holding remanded prisoners should not be the responsibility of police officers.”
“Police stations are not a ‘kiss and drop zone’ for prisoners that should be in the custody of other agencies. We will no longer collect and transport, guard and hold court-bail refused prisoners.”
“Once they wear green, police will not be seen.”
“This will free up our police to focus on police work and protecting our communities, not performing the duties of other agencies.”