THE ACT opposition has called for urgent support for ACT police after a recent report revealed Canberra had the lowest number of police per-capita in Australia.

The Productivity Commission’s latest Report on Government Services showed the ACT had the lowest funding per person for police in Australia, the lowest clearance rates for property crime in Australia and the lowest satisfaction of people who had contact with police in Australia.

Shadow police minister Jeremy Hanson said it’s a sign that the underfunding and under resourcing of ACT policing is taking its toll.

“The most damning result of all is that the ACT is the only jurisdiction in Australia to record a negative average annual growth rate in real recurrent expenditure from 2016-17 to 2020-21. Every other state is increasing their real expenditure,” said Mr Hanson.

“I am calling on this Labor-Greens Government to increase the number of police to at least match per-capita levels with NSW by 2024, and to resource ACT Policing to re-establish face to face crime reporting and investigation.”

Last year outcry was sparked when the government announced a new online reporting system for property crimes which would replace some police visits to homes.

At the time, ACT chief police officer Neil Gaughan said on radio: “Resources are tight, as they are in every sector, so we find this is going to be more efficient.”

“We will be less responsive to some of the property crime we have been in the past.”

Mr Hanson says it is a sign of how stretched Canberra police are.

“It is not a major ask – it is what every other state and territory gets, and what the ACT deserves,” he said.

“It is now up to minister Gentleman to explain why he cannot, or will not, provide the ACT with the same service every other citizen in Australia receives.”