Resourcing issues brushed over in ‘Roastbusters’ case

“It is too easy to lay blame at the feet of low ranking officers, while at the same time ignoring the systemic issues of lack of resourcing and poor command structures,” Police Association President Greg O’Connor said today.

Mr O’Connor was commenting on the IPCA report into the ‘Roastbusters’ case.

“The Association is disappointed that neither the IPCA nor the Police Commissioner are prepared to look at the broader issues which are highlighted by this case, that of an impossible work load which means systemic failures are inevitable.”

“Detectives investigating this case were required to prioritise daily cases which often needed at-risk children to be urgently removed from harmful situations, while also being called away to non-child abuse investigations, duties, and operations,” said Mr O’Connor.

Mr O’Connor said, “It is also very important to remember that when a fully resourced and focused police inquiry team was established under Operation Clover, their 12-month investigation utilising all the expert resources from within Police and support agencies, essentially came to the same conclusion as the original inquiry.”

“The Police Association fully endorses the victim-focused approach adopted by Police, and extends its sympathies to the young women victimised in this case. The way to ensure all victims’ cases receive the attention required is to provide sufficient resources to police teams tasked with dealing with a mounting file load in the area of sexual assault.”

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