Victoria has less frontline police despite law and order crisis
FRONTLINE police numbers have fallen in Victoria over the last five years, despite the state facing a law and order crisis and a rise in overall police numbers.
Law & Order
Don't miss out on the headlines from Law & Order. Followed categories will be added to My News.
FRONTLINE police numbers have fallen in Victoria over the last five years, despite the state facing a law and order crisis.
New police union analysis — provided to the Sunday Herald Sun — reveals there are now 190 fewer uniform officers than in 2013, despite a rise in overall police numbers.
Police Association of Victoria secretary Wayne Gatt said an “obsession” with deploying officers to taskforces left too few on the beat.
COUNTRY COPS NEED BETTER TRAINING: POLICE UNION
PUSH TO IMPROVE POLICE MENTAL HEALTH SUPPORT
WAYNE GATT: WE NEED POLICE TO PROTECT PEOPLE, NOT STATISTICS
With crime looming as a key issue in November’s state election, Mr Gatt has written to Labor and the Coalition urging them to commit to more police officers in stations.
The union is also demanding that Victoria Police — like forces in most other states — publishes 000 response times so the true extent of any delays can be revealed.
Seasoned officers have revealed that even they are not confident that the force would be able to quickly respond to an emergency at their own home. They say it has taken hours for police to attend some robberies and brawls. Some victims even cancelled requests for help when nobody turned up and offenders were long gone.
Mr Gatt said: “Our priorities are back to front. We want to care for people, not statistics.”
The police union’s analysis reveals there were 6135 uniformed officers in March this year compared with 6325 in March 2013.
Numbers of “other” officers have rocketed to 8805 from 5903 five years ago. That includes taskforces, detectives and specialist squads.
Crime Statistics Agency Victoria figures show total offences increased 14.8 per cent over the period analysed.
Mr Gatt, who seeks minimum staffing benchmarks for police stations, said more frontline police would prevent incidents such as the recent Collingwood riot.
“We could refocus on crime prevention rather than endlessly chasing our tails on crime response,” he said. “This is the circuit breaker.”
In comments supplied to the Sunday Herald Sun, rank-and-file police hit out at how command deployed officers.
“I feel hamstrung that I can’t get out there and do what I joined to do — to help people, solve crimes and arrest criminals,” a senior constable from Southern Metro region said.
A North West Metro region sergeant said: “If something happened at my house I would have no confidence police could respond effectively and quickly. We need double the amount of patrol cars.”
Victoria Police said in a statement that frontline police were more than just the resources based at police stations. Additional officers included highway patrol police, detectives and locally based teams for specific issues.
The force said this had pushed the number of available full-time police from 9352 in March 2013 to 10,473 in March this year.
“By building our capability and capacity in these specialist and investigative areas, we not only deliver better outcomes to victims of crime but also ensure our general duties officers have greater capacity to service the community,’’ it said.
“This means we have to include what was previously classified as frontline numbers with the divisional resource numbers to accurately reflect the level of service provided to the community.”
Premier Daniel Andrews today said his government had employed thousands of police since he’d been elected.
“There are 1300 additional police today compared to the day our government was sworn in,” he said.
“That is a fact, that cannot be refuted.
“People can have different views where those police are working, but police are deployed by the Chief Commissioner.
“They are not deployed by politicians and I don’t think any Victorian wants a situation where police are being deployed by members of the parliament.
“Th academy is full.”
Police Minister Lisa Neville said 3135 additional officers were being recruited in a record $2 billion investment.
“There are more police working in police stations now than when our government was elected,” she said.
Opposition police spokesman Edward O’Donohue said a Coalition government would put the frontline first, and reopen 24/7 police stations.
FURY AT COPS ‘NO SHOW’
HAMPTON Park dad Michael Pawelek phoned 000 and local police three times when he spotted a stolen car which later crashed — seriously injuring four teens.
The vehicle was hooning in his neighbourhood days before Tuesday’s crash, which left a 15-year-old girl fighting for life.
Mr Pawelek said he was “furious” police did not attend and catch the driver.
“I have a two-year-old son that uses the park and so do other kids in the street,’’ he said.
“What if one of them was crossing the road and that person came around the corner and hit them?
“We should be protected here as well.”
Mr Pawelek now worries how police might respond if his family were in immediate danger.
“I don’t know how they would treat a situation if it were an emergency,” he said.
Across town, Maria Aylward is sometimes too scared to leave her western suburbs home.
The Williams Landing woman said she never saw police patrolling her crime-plagued neighbourhood and officers had dismissed calls for help.
Her sister Korinne, 35, and brother-in-law Greg Tucker, 54, were murdered in their Moonee Ponds home in 2013 by their plasterer Mustafa Kunduraci over an apparent debt.
The murdered couple’s three children now live with Ms Aylward other sister, who was forced to leave their home due to crime.
“There was a car on fire and gunshots outside her home last month and police told her not to worry about it,” Ms Aylward said.
She fears more families will be “destroyed” and innocent victims hurt or killed without action to address a lack of frontline police.
“It is a huge mistake," she said.
“The police are way too top heavy. “There are not enough out there making arrests.
“I am very scared about where Victoria is heading.”