Significant Reforms To Better Support Our Police Officers And Keep Tasmanians Safe
A re-elected Liberal Government will deliver better recruitment and health outcomes for Police officers with the implementation of roster reform for Tasmania Police.
We will work with Tasmania Police and the Police Association of Tasmania to transition our largest stations to a new six-on, six-off roster or a four-on, four-off roster.
This will be part of a staged approach, with 24-hour stations to be transitioned incrementally as we continue to recruit.
Minister for Police, Fire and Emergency Management, Felix Ellis, said a Liberal Government will always invest in community safety and Tasmania Police.
“Moving to better rosters is fundamental to improving Police Officer health and wellbeing outcomes, boosting retention and recruiting the next generation of police to protect our community,” Minister Ellis said.
“We will work with Tasmania Police and the Police Association of Tasmania to sensibly stage this transition so that it remains affordable, reduces overtime and supports those who support our communities.
“We’re continuing to grow the most trusted police service in Australia, with 61 new police officers added to Tasmania Police in the past year alone, and an additional 36 recruits due to graduate from the Academy and commence work on the beat by the end of July.”
Since 2014, our Government has taken police numbers from 1120 to 1454 – a growth of 334 police officers on the ground in our communities, keeping Tasmanians safe.
It stands in stark contrast to Labor and the Greens, who sacked 108 police officers in their time in office, putting public safety at risk.
Minister Ellis said we will also give police the powers and tools they need to protect Tasmanians and keep our communities safe.
A re-elected Liberal Government will establish a Rural Crime Initiative, working alongside farmers to reduce the instances of theft in our rural communities.
“Rural crime has a significant effect on our farmers and those who work and live in rural communities,” Minister Ellis said.
“Theft and malicious damage to livestock, equipment, and property cost farmers millions of dollars annually in revenue and loss of productivity.
“The negative impacts of criminal activity in rural areas should not be underestimated in Tasmania, and we will take action to stamp this out and better support our regions.”
Our Rural Crime Initiative will see local police working alongside farming communities and developing strong connections to reduce crime, and will give landowners practical tools to safeguard their properties.
Building on the recently legislated Reid’s Law, which empowers police to take knives off the street, a re-elected Liberal Government will ban the sale of certain knives and other edged weapons to young people under the age of 18, unless there is a lawful reason for the purchase, such as being an apprentice.
We also recommit to our plan to roll out a 12-month trial of tasers for frontline officers, providing greater safety in high-risk situations.
And we will secure the permanent rollout of metal detection wands across the State, as well as additional body-worn cameras and upgrades to police protection vests.
Recently, the House of Assembly commenced debate of Daniel’s Law before Dean Winter selfishly sent us all back to the polls.
This Bill puts children first by giving parents and carers the right to ask police if someone with regular, unsupervised access to their child is a registered sex offender.
We are committed to re-introducing this Bill and finishing the job if we are re-elected, as our children’s safety is critical.
We will also reintroduce our Hooning legislation to crack down on dangerous drivers.
Let’s finish the job for Tasmania.
https://tas.liberal.org.au/news/2025/07/12/significant-reforms-better-support-our-police-officers-and-keep-tasmanians-safe