Law and order issues have been at the forefront of many contemporary Australian political agendas. The State Government in Western Australia, for example, announced a comprehensive crime prevention plan in July of this year. A cornerstone of the plan was said to be the addition over the next three years of 1000 officers to the State's police force.
These survey results indicate very strong public support across the country for government actions like those occurring in Western Australia. Clearly citizen concerns about troubling increases in crime are such that they favour governments providing more funds to bolster law enforcement resources. These resources have already experienced substantial growth. During the past 15 years, for example:
- The police to population ratio in Australia has increased by almost 30 per cent.
- The annual expenditure on police forces, taking into account inflation, has increased by about 60 per cent.
- A new enforcement agency, which some have called Australia's ninth police force, has been established in the form of the National Crime Authority.
These significant public investments appear to be producing positive dividends. A quiet revolution is occurring in the nation's police forces, led by a new generation of police leaders. Such outmoded practices as promotion by seniority are giving way to advancement by merit. But as one of the principal proponents of these changes recently reminded his colleagues, '... more police will not necessarily reduce crime levels and what each one of us needs to reflect on carefully is that we must make the utmost use of the police that we have.
'This reminder is in accord with the survey results which show that public support for more police is tempered by the belief that significant proportions of the population in each State thought that the police spend too much time on minor offenders and too little responding to serious crime.