A renewed push to have new Police barracks built on your Park Lands does not have State Government backing.
The Police Association has suggested that "community safety is at risk" if police horses and dogs are relocated from their current site (the Thebarton barracks on your Park 27) to a proposed new site at Gepps Cross.
The Association's president, Mark Carroll has told the Premier, Peter Malinauskas, that both police horses, and police dogs need to be housed close to the Adelaide CBD, to ensure quick responses to "critical incidents." (Subscriber-only link to Adelaide Now 3 August 2023)
The Thebarton Police barracks, which has been on your Park Lands since 1917, is set for demolition early next year, to be replaced by a new Women's and Children's Hospital.
In March 2023, the State Government proposed to build a new eight-hectare police compound on Golden Wattle Park / Mirnu Wirra (Park 21 West) until a huge community backlash prompted a Government re-think three months later, in June.
Documents obtained by former Senator Rex Patrick in a Freedom of Information request have revealed that in 2022 the Government's own real estate advisers identified the old West End brewery site at Thebarton, as the best location for new police facilities.
“Renewal SA and MRS Property Advisory .... have advised SAPOL that the former West End Brewery (8.43ha) was the single available landholding opportunity identified that fits the size, location, access and security constraints required, with the benefit of being in process of demolition and clearing which would support expedited timeframes for delivering a new Barracks.”
The West End brewery site at Thebarton: recommended by Renewal SA as the best option for new police barracks.
Read the story at InDaily: https://indaily.com.au/news/2023/08/04/thebarton-police-horse-advice-revealed/
Despite this advice, Police Association president Mark Carroll has urged the Government instead to confiscate a correspondingly large portion of your north-west Park Lands - at John E Brown Park (Park 27A) (Subscriber-only link to Adelaide Now 3 August 2023)
John E. Brown Park (Park 27A)
Police Commissioner Grant Stevens has admitted that the proposed site at Gepps Cross is "not optimal". However Commissioner Stevens has not publicly backed either the proposed West End Brewery site recommended by Renewal SA, nor the Police Association's efforts to claim any part of your Park Lands.
Commissioner Stevens told InDaily’s Thomas Kelsall that, in relation to the proposed Gepps Cross site: “That’s not optimal but the advice I have from our Mounted Operations people is that we will be able to make it work. ... It’s important to remember that by and large the horses are not like a rapid response police service."
Treasurer Stephen Mullighan told InDaily’s Thomas Kelsall: "We are not proceeding with a Park Lands site, we are proceeding with a Gepps Cross site.”
ABC Radio Adelaide's Jules Schiller discussed this issue on Friday 4 August 2023. Hear the discussion below: 12 mins 30s
Read more about the 2023 battle to save your Park Lands from new police barracks:
