AAP General News (Australia)
02-02-2004
Qld: Beattie expects rough finish
By Paul Osborne
TOWNSVILLE, Qld, Feb 2 AAP - Queensland Premier Peter Beattie expects a rough finish
to the state election campaign.
Pauline Hanson's supporters and sugar growers are expected to rally through Brisbane
this week in the lead up to Saturday's election and the Queensland Police Union has been
stepping up its attack on resources.
"I think you will find everything will be thrown at us," Mr Beattie told reporters.
"I expect it will be a very tough week for us, but frankly we will continue to go out
and put forward positive policies."
Campaigning in Townsville today, Mr Beattie pledged to spend $29 million upgrading
police equipment to fight crime.
Mr Beattie said the package would include $24 million in new spending linking Queensland
Police to the national DNA database and setting up a network of high-tech fingerprinting
units at watchhouses across the state.
An extra $11 million would be spent to clear a backlog of DNA profiling and crime scene
samples at the state's main forensic centre.
A further $10 million would provide police with training, radios and safety equipment.
Mr Beattie said the state would reach the national average of police officers per person
by 2005 and the government would maintain numbers at this level in the long term.
Around 500 officers are expected to be released from behind desks from 2005 under a
plan to put civilians in administrative duties.
The premier also today opened the new $8 million Mundingburra police complex, which
the Police Union said was still two weeks away from operating.
Police Union representative Sergeant Mick Gerrard said the opening and policy announcement
today was a stunt and would not deliver the extra resources that officers needed to fight
crime in north Queensland.
Mr Beattie will travel to central Queensland later today.
AAP pjo/ew/sc/jjs
KEYWORD: POLLQLD BEATTIE
2004 AAP Information Services Pty Limited (AAP) or its Licensors.
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