Police in Western Australia may not be able to retain their current level of frontline service with the loss of nearly 200 experienced officers, the state's police union has warned.
The government and police commissioner Karl O'Callaghan revealed on Tuesday almost 200 police officers are set to quit the West Australian force under a voluntary severance scheme designed to put more police on the streets.
Police Minister Liza Harvey says the government had approved terms to release 196 highly-experienced officers who are no longer fit for frontline duties, but union vice president Brandon Shortland said that means a force already stretched to the limit could suffer.
"The community want police to be looking after them, but in this current industrial climate they are going to have trouble attracting and retaining the police they currently have," Mr Shortland said.
"WA police are at their limits in almost every operational aspect at the moment. It is going to be a very tough ask to retain frontline services with what they already have."
The severance payouts are set to cost about $37 million and will come from the police budget.
Commissioner O'Callaghan admitted the WA police training facilities would have to work "double-time" to keep up with demand to replace the retiring officers.
But Ms Harvey says the officers taking severance packages would make room for more police who are able to cope with life on the beat.
"We are not shipping these officers out, but offering them generous severance packages to thank them for years of great service," Ms Harvey said.
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