3159. Hon Alison Xamon to the minister representing the Minister for Police:
I refer to Recommendation 17 of the Final Report of the Select Committee into Elder Abuse, and I ask:
(a) has the Government created specialist elder abuse units within the Western Australia Police Force;
(b) if no to (a), why not; and
(c) if yes to (a):
(i) where are these units located; and
(ii) how many staff FTE are employed in each unit?
Hon Stephen Dawson replied:
The Western Australia Police Force advise:
(a)–(b) There has been an increase in the allocation of specialist Family Violence Officers (FVO) within dedicated Family Violence Teams (FVT) in both the Metropolitan and Regional WA Police Districts. Recognising the close nexus between family violence and elder abuse, these officers have been trained to recognise and respond to elder abuse, and work in partnership with the Department of Communities aiming to protect victims and hold perpetrators accountable.
(c) Not applicable.