Police shortages in the Wheatbelt have been a hot topic of late, with questions in Parliament revealing the extent of vacant positions in the region.
Questioning by the Nationals WA spokesperson for police and road safety Martin Aldridge disclosed that the Wheatbelt was down 18.25 full-time officers from the WA Police Force's authorised staffing requirements.
Mr Aldridge accused the state government of neglecting the needs of regional communities.
"Rural areas aren't getting the police cover they deserve and considering the concerns in particular areas about rural crime, illicit drugs and traffic enforcement these police shortages are not assisting," he said.
WA Police Union president Harry Arnott acknowledged the shortages and said the current regional job vacancies were 'less than ideal'.
"The Wheatbelt District is not on its own when you talk about a lack of police resources, it is currently a statewide issue," he said.
"However, there are a number of stations in the Wheatbelt which have been notoriously hard to fill and this is made worse when there are a lack of resources statewide.
"Another factor is the uncertainty around Government Regional Officer Housing (GROH) rent increases and the quality of the housing being supplied is also a contributing issue, particularly in the Wheatbelt."
Despite concerns raised by the Nationals that there were 'uneasy moods' among communities, Mr Arnott said police officers were committed to looking after locals.
"Police officers will always go that extra mile to ensure the community is protected," he said.
"There were 150 police officers who left the WA Police Force in June last year as part of the last round of voluntary severances, so that is one of the main reasons why there are gaps throughout the agency.
"The WA Police Force has advised the union that it anticipates that the gaps will remain in place until those 150 retired police officers are replaced by new recruits which should happen by mid-2020.
"The union is actively lobbying the WA Police Force and the state government to ensure that minimum staffing numbers are maintained."
Police minister Michelle Roberts defended the state government's commitment to regional policing.
"Under our government the number of officers in regional WA has increased by 126 officers," she said.
"All positions are filled or in the process of being filled.
"Vacancies in regional police districts vary on a daily basis including through natural attrition, leave without pay, transfers in and out of regional WA.
"As with any organisation there will be vacancies from time to time, however the Commissioner of Police tells me the current vacancy rate is at normal levels."
Police officer quotas were also down in the Mid West Gascoyne district, South West, Goldfields-Esperance district and the Great Southern.
