WA Deputy Premier and Police Minister Liza Harvey focused on drug awareness and road safety in the South West during her visit to Collie last week.
Ms Harvey and Liberal Candidate for Collie-Preston Elysia Harverson led a crime forum for Collie residents to attend.
In the forum, Ms Harvey discussed home burglaries, assaults on police officers, methylamphetamine use, drug rehabilitation and mental health-based crime.
Ms Harvey said she praised the work of Collie Police services.
“They’re doing extremely well, most areas of offending have been coming down which is really good,” she said.
“We’ll see some spike over Summer, we always do, but yes that work has been very good, very good quality, and when I look at quality of police work I look at broader outcomes – so successful prosecutions, successful convictions, outcomes that mean offenders are taken out of the community for a while and the community gets some relief from the offender.”
Ms Harvey and Mrs Harverson took questions from community members on road safety, multi-novas and the crime rate in Collie.
“It’s always really great to hear the views of the people in communities right across the state, similar issues being raised to what I hear right across metro also the rest of regional WA around road safety, safe speeds and also drug abuse,” she said.
Last month, Ms Harvey announced the State Government’s commitment to adding $3.134 million to expand WA police meth teams over the next 12 months.
She said the plan would assist police in executing multiple search warrants to impact distribution networks.
Mrs Harverson said the meeting provided an important discussion around crime in Collie.
“Locals were able to talk with the Minister and raise local issues, in particular issues around drug use and road safety,” she said.
“I personally spoke about the importance of getting a dedicated Drug Rehab facility located somewhere in the South West so locals do not have to travel to Perth for these facilities.
“Perth is too far away for family and friends to appropriately support loved ones when they are in treatment facilities.”
