Police seem reluctant to expand their responsibilities by providing counter-terrorism advice for crowded places, a West Australian parliamentary committee says.
Chairman Peter Katsambanis says there is a willingness by owners and operators of many venues to strengthen the resilience of their sites and fulfil the duty of care they have to people who use them.
But they report difficulty accessing quality protective security advice.
ASIO told the committee providing such support was the responsibility of state police and other law enforcement agencies elsewhere in Australia were embracing the role.
"WA Police, however, seems to be actively avoiding stepping into this space," Mr Katsambanis said in the committee's initial report, Near Enough Is Not Good Enough, released on Thursday.
"There is a clear expectation amongst crowded places and the public that authorities such as WA Police will take the lead in protecting crowded places.
"We were struck, however, by the reluctance of WA Police to expand its responsibilities in relation to the provision of protective security advice."
Premier Mark McGowan said WA Police, with national terrorism expert Chris Dawson at the helm, were working well with private security operators.
"You've got to remember we're a huge state and there are numerous locations where people gather in numbers," Mr McGowan told reporters.
"So the main thing the police need to do is have great intelligence on where the threat is, work with other agencies across the Commonwealth on where the threat might be and make sure we play our part.
"And I'm confident the WA Police Force is doing that."
WA police had been issued with modern rifles and shoot-to-kill laws for siege situations passed parliament earlier this year, Mr McGowan added.
"We're doing everything humanly possibly to protect the people of Western Australia from terrorists," he said.
The committee has urged venue owners and operators to turn to professional security consultants for advice.
The industry, however, has had problems including non-compliance with workplace laws, inadequate training of security personnel and an inexperienced workforce, Mr Katsambanis said.
He said local governments were also important for protecting crowded places but many lack the skills, knowledge and resources needed to focus on counter-terrorism in a meaningful way.
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