Published September 2024
The Opposition is calling on Labor to reveal what long term solutions are being considered to improve and upgrade the Fort Largs Police Academy gun range after it was reported that the critical training facility was secretly shut for five months earlier in the year due to “catastrophic” safety failures.
In this morning’s edition of The Advertiser, it was revealed that the range, used to train new police officers, had been secretly shut after projectiles breached ballistic walls and bullets pierced air conditioning vents - leaving officers fearful that possible stray bullets put both police and the community in danger.
Shadow Minister for Community Safety, Police and Correctional Services, Jack Batty, said the “catastrophic” safety failure was a symptom of Labor’s disastrous SAPOL resourcing.
“Labor secretly shutting the main training facility for police in the midst of a police recruitment, retention and resourcing crisis is outrageous,” said Mr Batty.
“SAPOL is dreadfully under-resourced – with a shortfall of nearly 200 police officers on the beat. In the meantime, crime is skyrocketing across South Australia.
“At a time when it is no secret that we need to be training more police, Labor has had to secretly shut our critical training facility.
“This has raised serious concerns that up to 300 graduates would fail to graduate on time with sufficient weapons training.
“Labor’s Police Minister Dan Cregan is very naïve if he thinks he can just flood the academy with hundreds of new trainees in an effort to fix Labor’s recruitment mess without actually investing in the infrastructure to ensure the training can be delivered.
“Our police officers, who put their lives on the line to protect us, deserve the best training in the world.
“Labor should reveal if it has a plan to fix this – what long term options are being assessed to improve and upgrade the gun range after these catastrophic safety failures?”
Media Contact: Gretel Mead 0449 500 844
