5 May 2004
REPORT FINDS SIGNIFICANT REDUCTION
IN GUNS IN THE COMMUNITY
The number of high-powered firearms
and handguns in the community,
the prime targets of the national
gun control strategy and in the
1996 amendments to the Firearms
Act 1973, has fallen significantly
in the last five years.
High-powered weapons, such as
automatic self-loading rifles
with high-capacity magazines
and automatic pump-action shotguns,
decreased from 20,803 to 7159,
whilst handguns more than halved
from 25,031 to 10,263.
The numbers are contained in
the findings of a follow-up performance
examination that is part of a
Public Sector Performance Report
detailing the results of six
diverse audits tabled in State
Parliament today by WA Auditor
General Des Pearson.
The other audits in the report
cover:
- Investigation of breaches
of industrial law by the Building
Industry Special Projects Inspectorate
(BISPI).
- The regulation of human organ
and tissue removal.
- Computer virus management
at government agencies.
- Internal audit in government
agencies.
- The management of tree plantations.
Mr Pearson's follow-up examination
of his 2000 report "Surrender
Arms? Firearms Management in
Western Australia" finds
that the Police Service has largely
implemented the recommendations
contained in that report, but
with three exceptions:
- Ensuring decisions to issue
firearm licences to people
with a criminal record are
documented.
- Implementing consistent procedures
for inspecting secure storage
of firearms.
- Enabling the Firearm Licensing
System to produce summary information
to assist in the effective
monitoring and management of
firearm licensing.
The examination also reveals
that firearms are used in 6%
of crimes in WA, and that in
the five years to 2002 the percentage
of homicides involving firearms
varied between 0% and 8% with
the number jumping dramatically
in 2003, when 69% (18) of the
26 reported murders in WA involved
a firearm.
Key Findings from the other
five audits detailed in the report
include:
Investigation of breaches
of industrial law by the BISPI
- The Building Industry Special
Projects Inspectorate has investigated
all complaints received.
- The effectiveness of BISPI
is impaired by the frequent
refusal of individuals to participate
in investigations.
- BISPI is only partially fulfilling
its proactive monitoring, inspection
and education role (a role
regarded as highly important
by the recent Royal Commission
into the Building and Construction
Industry).
- Improvements are needed to
some BISPI operations including
security over sensitive records.
The regulation of human organ
and tissue removal
- Management of human tissue
and organ removal and retention
is well managed, with no unauthorised
removal of human tissue found.
- Written permission was obtained
from the senior next of kin
in all 22 organ donation cases
in 2003 where the donor had
been on life support.
- The Non-Coronial Post-Mortem
Examinations Code of Practice,
introduced in 2002, combined
with the introduction of post-mortem
coordinators, gives reasonable
assurance that informed consent
is provided by the next of
kin before any non-coronial
post-mortem is carried out.
Computer virus management
at government agencies
- Seven of nine government
sites examined were ill-prepared
for two recent computer virus
attacks, and had the viruses
been of a more malicious nature,
disruption to operations would
have resulted in costs running
into millions of dollars.
- Only one of the sites had
adequate policies and procedures
for prevention and response
to attacks.
Internal audit in government
agencies
- All but one agency in a sample
of six reviewed had an effective
internal audit function.
- 60% of large to medium departments
surveyed did not have an independent
member on their audit committee
The management of tree plantations
- Three million hectares of
revegetation are required to
address salinity in the State's
South-West, with tree plantation
targets forming 13% (some 400,000
hectares) of this.
- Annual tree plantings by
the Forest Products Commission
have fallen from 11,000 hectares
in 2000 to just 1,700 in 2003
impacting the achievement of
government environmental and
regional development objectives
(tree plantations are a key
strategy in addressing salinity
in the S-W and in meeting the
State's long-term timber needs).
Ends/.
Media Contact: Peter Villiers,
Manager Reporting and Communications
Tel: (08) 9222 7558. Mobile:
0417 936 171 Fax: (08) 9322 5664
4th Floor Dumas House 2 Havelock
Street West Perth
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