Miles Labor Government delivers record Police and Community Safety budget

• Miles Labor Government delivers record $4.379 billion budget for the Police and Community Safety
• Significant investments are underpinning the Community Safety Plan for Queensland
• Nation-leading recruitment efforts have seen over 600 recruits currently at Queensland’s Police Academies and over 2,000 applicants in the recruit pipeline

The Miles Government’s State Budget today delivers a record $4.379 billion allocation for Police and Community Safety and underpins Queensland’s historic Community Safety Plan.

The total budget allocation of $4.379 billion is an increase of almost $700 million - or 15 per cent - over the last financial year.

This includes an operating budget of $3.695 billion and a capital budget of $684 million.

The current investment brings our commitment to over 3,000 additional police personnel since 2020. 

The record budget also supports the government’s extra $1.28 billion investment in the Community Safety Plan for Queensland, which builds on the strong laws and effective measures that have contributed to what the Queensland Police Service has identified as a reduction in some offending in a number of locations in the first quarter of this year.

In particular, the record budget will extend police aerial support capability to Cairns/Far North and the Sunshine Coast/Wide Bay areas.

The Community Safety Plan for Queensland is focused on five key pillars, backed by evidence, including:

• Supporting victims
• Delivering for our frontline
• Detaining offenders to protect the community
• Intervening early
• Preventing crime before it occurs

In the 2024–25 Queensland Budget, the government is providing:

• $1.28 billion of new funding over the forward estimates and additional personnel for the Community Safety Plan, with significant investments for the QPS including:

• 900 additional police personnel including 500 police officers (on top of the government’s other growth commitments)
• an additional 3,000 metal detecting wands and 1,000 tasers
• increased police aerial support capacity, including two helicopters for response work in Cairns and the Far North Queensland and the Wide Bay and Sunshine Coast areas and additional drone capability in priority regions across Queensland
• an extension of the Youth-Co-responder Teams in the Gold Coast, South Brisbane and Cairns areas and additional teams in the Sunshine Coast and South-West regions
• upgraded police facilities in Hervey Bay and Bundaberg.

• ongoing funding to support non-government community organisations which provide services to keep Queenslanders safe. This includes the historic 10-year $125 million Surf Life Saving Queensland partnership, $425,000 annually for Royal Life Saving Society Queensland, $623,000 annually for the Emergency Services Cadets Program in partnership with PCYC Queensland,  $400,000 annually for Neighbourhood Watch Queensland, $400,000 annually for Crime Stoppers Queensland, $400,000 annually for Queensland Homicide Victims Support Group (on top of other funding support from other agencies) and $200,000 for the Stop the Coward Punch Campaign.
• an initial investment of $5.5 million in 2024-25 to commence the modernisation and upgrade of the QPS’ network of watchhouses to improve safety and security.

• a capital program of $684.2 million to fund facilities, motor vehicles, aviation assets, vessels and other essential equipment including: the Wacol Youth Remand Facility, and new or replacement or upgraded facilities at Cunnamulla, Hervey Bay, Kirwan, Bundaberg, Ripley, Warwick, Clermont, Cooroy, Rosewood, Dayboro, Caloundra South, Cairns, Mackay, Maryborough, Mount Isa, Longreach, Proserpine, Rainbow Beach Winton, and Palm Island.
• $15 million for a new PCYC at Caloundra South.
• $2 million to upgrade the PCYC at Redcliffe.

The budget also includes funding for the National Firearms Register and the procurement of a permanent Polair capability based in Townsville.

Funding for these measures is not published in the budget due to commercial in confidence procurement processes and inter-governmental financial negotiations still being underway.

Quotes attributable to Premier Steven Miles:

“Every Queenslander deserves to feel safe and be safe.

“The first decision I made as Premier was to deliver the Townsville community a police helicopter, to help keep the community safe.

“It has shown some great results already, so my first budget as Premier is delivering funding for our Community Safety Plan, which includes police helicopters for Cairns, the Wide Bay and Sunshine Coast. 

“I am doing what matters for Queenslanders and that means more investment in our frontline police and evidence-based community safety measures.”

Quotes attributable to Deputy Premier and Treasurer Cameron Dick:

“Every Queenslander deserves to feel safe and secure no matter where they are in our beautiful State and the Miles Labor Government’s is providing police with the resources they need to do their job.

“We have listened to police and provided them with this record police budget to deliver real measures and the best practices when it comes to preventing and responding to criminal behaviour.

“Our government has a track record of supporting our frontline and this significant investment will further enhance policing services and community safety across Queensland.” 

Quotes attributable to Police Minister Mark Ryan:

“We are proud of our record police budget which supports the vital work our officers do day in and day out.

“We are backing our police with extra officers and staff, more resources and enhanced equipment to protect them on duty.

“The Community Safety Plan demonstrates the government’s absolute commitment to making the necessary investments to keep Queenslanders safe and make them feel safe.

“This is what Labor Government’s do, invest in the frontline.

“All of this would be at risk under the LNP who at the last election made commitments which would have seen the number of extra police officers the government has funded slashed by more than 1,000 officers.”

Quotes attributable to Commissioner Steve Gollschewski:

“The QPS welcomes the Government’s announcement of additional police officers and staff members, boosting our ability to support the frontline and the community.

“Additional resources will assist us in our commitment to keep the community safe and help them feel safe.

“Growing our fleet of helicopters will help us tackle crime from all angles, now and into the future as the organisation continues to expand to meet community needs.”

“The investment in police personnel is a watershed for Queensland, with the government’s investments since 2020 committing 3,000 extra police personnel.

ENDS