A snapshot of State and Territory police forces shows satisfaction with South Australian officers and their response to emergency situations is among the highest in the country.
The Report on Government Services looks at the performance of Governments in key areas aimed at improving the well-being of all Australians.
The report is produced by the Productivity Commission for the Steering Committee for the Review of Government Service Provision and is released in January each year.
This year the Commission is trialling a mid-year release of data that wasn’t available for the earlier publication.
The data shows in 2018-19 South Australia had 4,563 sworn operational officers – the highest number in seven years.
Minister for Police Corey Wingard said the figures illustrated the Government’s commitment to growing the SA frontline.
“75.1% of people surveyed as part of the report agree with the statement that police treat people fairly and equally – that’s also the second highest in the country. 87.2% of people agree with the statement that our police perform their job professionally – third highest in the country,” said the Minister.
“General satisfaction results show that 81.5% of people surveyed were satisfied with SAPOL – the second highest result in the country.
The data also showed that South Australia had recorded the third lowest rate of motor vehicle theft in the country, the third lowest rate of armed robbery, and the fourth lowest rate of sexual assault.
“We’ve invested heavily in the force since then and it’s pleasing to see the perception of our force is right up there when compared to other States and Territories,” said Mr Wingard.
