Operation Regional Shield making an impact

So 10.30am I resubmitted the three page application.

At 11.20am I received another call from Main Roads – I hadn’t filled in a figure for ‘ground contact’. This is a new item on the application form and I had never heard of it before so I asked what does it mean? The team member from Main Roads (the one that checks the form to make sure that it is correct before sending it to the permit section) didn’t know what it was and said that I would have to ring the help desk for clarification. I asked her could she put me through to the help desk, only to be told that was not possible, I would have to ring back and meanwhile they were cancelling my application.

I tried to phone the help desk, no-one was available to take my call, so I had to leave another message. Around 10 minutes later I received a call back and the team member explained that I had to go and measure the outside of the tyre to the outside of the opposite side tyre and that is the figure that I would need. (Incidentally she said that this was commonly missed information – well if Main Roads ‘own staff’ don’t know what it is then there is not much hope for the rest of us. Again totally my fault but would it really have been hard for her to just ask me to measure it and write it in on the form – me thinks not.

At 11.50am I submit the form again – back to the end of the queue again.

Two hours later at 1.50pm I received an email from Main Roads – ‘Notification of Permit Application received for your review and action if necessary’. There was no permit attached so I rang again – Oh no, that is just letting you know that we have accepted your application and it has now gone into the queue to be processed.

So I asked how long did they expect it to take to process as I needed to be careful I didn’t run into curfew. I was told that there was only one in front of me and as they didn’t close until 4.30pm I would ‘probably’ get it today (enabling me – worst case scenario- to do the job the next day. As nothing had been received I phoned again at 4.30pm as my customer is beginning to panic.

I asked what is the likelihood of it being issued on Friday as I would have to let my customer know, and the staff member told me that he couldn’t give me any sort of answer and that I would just have to wait until I received it, which may or may not be before the weekend.

I explained that this was urgent as it was a replacement for a damaged item but I was told that permits take around two business days to approve (but may take longer if they are busy). Seeing as though mine wasn’t accepted until 1:50pm on Thursday then they had until 1.50pm on Monday to process it. The fact that I sent it earlier apparently has no bearing, it is from when they accept it and send it to processing. I explained that I was told that there was only one application in front of mine and he replied yes but some take a long time to process. I said yes but surely there is more than one person processing them and he said yes there is a team, but the ‘team’ is working on another application so I just have to wait.

Can you imagine if we operated our businesses like that? Yep we’ll take your freight – can’t give you any indication when we can pick it up or deliver it but pay us upfront and we’ll get around to it sometime. We would be out of business in record time.

But government businesses – the so called Public Service (more like ‘lack’ of service) can do whatever they like as they have us by the short and curlies. They have a monopoly on a service that we legally have to operate under and so they treat us with a complete lack of service and courtesy.

If you had a choice of several places that you could get permits through, then the service standards would improve greatly. Under the current system they have a monopoly and know that you have no choice other than to deal with them regardless of how poor the service that they give is.

Well that’s my experience anyway.

The number of youth crime offences in the Kimberley region have decreased by 42 per cent since WA Police launched Operation Regional Shield earlier this year.

Regional Shield was launched in Broome to tackle the acute issue of youth crime in our regions by placing additional police officers and assets where they are needed, when they are needed.

Since Regional Shield began in Broome in February, youth crime across the Kimberley have declined in key categories including burglary, stealing and property offences.

The McGowan Government has provided $2.5 million to fund Regional Shield, a law enforcement contribution to a multi-agency effort aimed at improving community safety by tackling youth crime in our regions.

Police Minister Paul Papalia said, "Regional Shield is about putting police officers and assets where they are needed, when they are needed. "The challenge of juvenile offending has been caused by many decades of disadvantage and dysfunction. It will not be solved quickly, and it will take time and effort by all tiers of Government and the community."