WA POLICE is becoming more environmentally sustainable with a range of projects underway aimed at reducing the agency’s energy use, resource consumption and carbon emissions.

“With an organisation the size of WA Police, the consumption of electricity and water is huge,” Asset Management Sustainability Project Officer Kirsty Jewell said. “However, that also means any small reductions in an individual business area can have a major affect on our overall usage.”

Ms Jewell said another ongoing initiative involved improvements to the agency’s vehicle fleet. “Early last year, we achieved 30% four-cylinder representation and our new target is to increase that figure to 40%,” she said. “All vehicles selected must also meet State Fleet guidelines for carbon dioxide emission benchmark caps.

“The ongoing work in this area is having a major impact in lowering our carbon footprint, with the fleet average carbon dioxide emissions 2.1 grams less per kilometre compared to 30 June, 2008 – because of the size of our vehicle fleet and the distance it covers, that’s a reduction of 16.5 tonnes per month.”

Other initiatives include a feasibility study looking at using energy-efficient LED lighting throughout indoor and outdoor areas, audits of airconditioning, heating and building insulation throughout WAPOL properties and a mid-year IT upgrade to replace all remaining CRT monitors with LCD screens which use about 30% less power.

"Sustainability initiatives like these save not only resources but operational costs,” Ms Jewell said.  “That’s a win-win situation for both the organisation and the environment.”