Police Chief Shane Patton will return to work amid fears over face-off with state government
Shane Patton is set to return to work on Monday despite an overwhelming no-confidence vote, while the opposition says Police Minister Anthony Carbines should be dumped.
Victoria
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Departing Police Chief Shane Patton is set to be back at work on Monday – setting up a potential showdown with the state government.
The Sunday Herald Sun can reveal Mr Patton plans on resuming his role, despite being told on Friday his contract would not be renewed and suffering an overwhelming no confidence vote from rank and file police.
Mr Patton may still resign or be forced from his job after the breakdown of his relationship with the government and police officers.
It is understood he is spending the weekend with his family and is considering his future ahead of a planned return to work.
Shadow police minister David Southwick has called upon Police Minister Anthony Carbines to resign following the revelation that the government would not be renewing police commissioner Shane Patton’s contract.
Speaking alongside Brighton MP James Newbury at the Bayside Community Crime Rally, Mr Southwick said the government was “looking for a scapegoat” for crime.
“The person we should be having a motion of no confidence in is the police minister, and quite frankly, the police minister should be sacked,” Mr Newbury said.
“They’re hoping Victorians will all get behind and blame the commissioner for everything that’s happened,” he added.
Mr Southwick went on to say that it was Mr Carbines, not the commissioner who should bear responsibility for a wide range of issues facing the force, telling reporters, “The police minister is the one that should be fixing the issues that we have – an under-resourced police force that can’t do their job on the smell of an oily rag”.
“Shane Patton was the fall guy with this,” he added.
‘Patton could unload’
There are concerns within the government that without a new contract to worry about, Mr Patton could feel free to “unload’’ about law and order.
It can also be revealed Mr Patton had been directed to find savings of more than $1bn.
He has been undertaking a review of the force to detail how the savings could be achieved. But his axing has cast doubt on that work, with fears the restructure will be significantly delayed if not completed before Mr Patton leaves his role.
Mr Patton had told staff a report on the restructure would be ready this month for consideration by Executive Command, with updates to the wider police force not due until next month at the earliest.
On Friday night the Herald Sun revealed Mr Patton was out as Police Chief after being told his contract would not be renewed when it expired in June.
The conflict between Mr Patton and the state government is believed to have been brewing for several years with the no confidence vote over the long running pay dispute on Friday – the final straw.
The tension dates back to policing of Covid rules under Premier Andrews, Mr Patton’s opposition to the state government plans to raise the age of criminal responsibility, frustration at bail laws while the state government had wanted Mr Patton to be more visible in the face of skyrocketing crime.
Opposition Leader Brad Battin, a former police officer, lashed the Premier and Police Minister for refusing to front the media on Saturday to address the abysmal result.
He accused the Labor leaders of using Mr Patton as a “scapegoat” for their failings.
“Shane Patton is being used as a political football here by the Allan Labor government and as a scapegoat for the mistakes that they’ve made,” Mr Battin said.
Mr Battin said he had no confidence in the government’s ability to find a suitable replacement because they would likely face the same challenges as Mr Patton, but commended his service to the force and the community.
“Shane bleeds blue,” he said.
“The services he has delivered to the community have been fantastic for all of that time.
“I don’t agree with every decision he’s made … but the reality is you can’t just go and use him as the fall guy for your mistakes.”
Meanwhile, former chief commissioner Kel Glare told the Herald Sun Mr Patton hastened his own downfall by remaining too tight-lipped about youth crime and a marathon pay dispute.
But he said Mr Patton took the top job when the force was already reaching “crisis point”.
“There were some things he could have weighed in on and had a lot more to say and he has paid the penalty for not doing that,” Mr Glare said.
“He wasn’t strong enough to stand up to government … in relation to repeat offenders and juvenile criminals being released constantly.
Mr Glare said Mr Patton’s replacement was staring down the same uphill battle as Mr Patton.
“They will be handed a poisoned chalice,” he said.
The Police Association of Victoria secretary Wayne Gatt did not speak on the matter on Saturday.
Critics of the decision said the government had used the dismissal of Mr Patton in an attempt to look decisive about its own law and order crisis.
One former colleague said Mr Patton was, to no small degree, carrying the can for the same government which had made his job harder with bungled approaches to issues like youth crime, bail laws and the illicit tobacco trade.
“Scapegoat central. I feel really sorry for him,” the former cop said.
Another former senior officer who worked with Patton said what had happened reflected badly on the government.
“They’re just trying to pull themselves out of the fire,” he said.
“It’s terrible. It’s indicative of a government that’s in crisis. They have no answers. They’re just reactive.
“They’re running scared. It’s a shortsighted move. There was no courage in the government to stare down the members.”
Among the potential contenders for Mr Patton’s job would be current Emergency Management Commissioner Rick Nugent, if he wanted it.
Other potential candidates include deputy commissioners Neil Paterson, Robert Hill and Wendy Steendam. Former emergency commissioner Andrew Crisp, who is currently on the Ambulance Victoria board, has also been floated.
Originally published as Police Chief Shane Patton will return to work amid fears over face-off with state government
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