According to the WA Police Union, staffing pressure, retention and frontline workload are becoming harder to manage as demand rises.
The union said policing is not simply about how many recruits enter the academy, but how many experienced officers stay and how supported they feel.
It has also claimed funded positions have not materially increased for nearly three years, while population growth continues and violent crime trends are worsening.
Data provided to The Examiner shows WA’s police to population ratio has fallen by almost 7 percent since 2007-2008, while the rate of offences against the person, which the union argues reflects rising violent crimes, has increased by more than 80 percent.
The figures also point to pressure within the workforce.
While resignations have fallen since peaking in 2021-2022, the rate since 2020 remains the highest of any decade since the 1940s.
The union further noted there has also been a surge in medical retirements over the past six months, with many linked to work-related psychological injuries.
Another notable shift is in the experience level of officers. In 2018-2019, 14.2 percent of sworn officers were constables or probationary constables. By 2024-25, that figure had risen to 24.7 percent.
The figures also suggest the fall in the police-to-population ratio has coincided with a decline in the proportion of sworn officers working in operational roles and the amount of time spent on frontline duties.
The union stated that in 2024-2025, more than two-in-five police auxiliary officers left the role, with attrition more than seven times higher than that of sworn officers.
The WA Police Union says those trends are affecting both officers and the wider community.
“Police officers do not walk away from their jobs lightly,” a union spokesperson said.
“When experienced officers are leaving while violent crime is rising, it shows a failure to properly support and resource policing in Western Australia.”
The union said commitment from officers alone was not enough and warned that growing resignations and retirements were reducing frontline capacity at a time when communities needed more police, not fewer.
It is calling on the WA Government to reconsider its position, commit to funding additional police officers, and take action to improve retention.
“Our position is simple,” the spokesperson said.
“Without immediate and ongoing investment in more police, alongside real action to improve retention, the gap between what the community expects and what policing can deliver will continue to grow.”
The State Government, however, said police numbers and investment are increasing.
A State Government spokesperson said, “The number of Western Australian Police officers continues to grow year-on-year.
“We have over 7,300 officers keeping the Western Australian community safe which is a 10 per cent increase since the Covid Pandemic.
“The Western Australian Police Force has over 900 more police officers than when we were elected in 2017, helping keep our community safe, while the overall crime rate has dropped by over 16 per cent since 2017.”
The spokesperson said WA was “the only State in this country that continues to grow its police force” and pointed to the Police Academy’s increased training capacity and continued investment in the force.
“Police attrition has been dropping year on year – in the last financial year, resignations were down and overall attrition was down,” the spokesperson said.
They also said all WA Police districts were “appropriately and significantly resourced” and that resources were adjusted as needed to meet operational demand.
Local MPs Terry Healy and Colleen Egan said their government had continued to invest in policing and community safety, while they continued to advocate for their electorates.
They said Canning Vale and Gosnells Police Stations were now open until 7pm on weekdays, meeting an election commitment made in 2017.
“We are resourcing Police at record levels, with more than $8 billion in the last budget,” they said.
The MPs also pointed to technology including body-worn cameras and said visible policing, timely responses, prevention, youth engagement and local support services all played a role in community safety.
In a statement to the Examiner, WA Police said it continued to maintain a proactive and visible presence across the State.
“The WA Police Force continues to maintain a proactive and highly visible police presence, responding to calls for assistance 24 hours a day, seven days a week,” a spokesperson said.
“The WA Police Force remains agile, with the capability to adjust resources as required to meet operational demand and keep the community safe.”
Parliamentary hearings and official reports also point to rising demand on policing.
A July 2025 Estimates Committee hearing heard additional staff had been funded to help keep frontline officers in the field by shifting some work to dedicated roles.
Official reporting has also noted growing demand for police services, including family violence matters and rising calls for assistance.
The debate now centres on whether current staffing, support and resources are keeping pace with the pressure officers are facing on the ground.
