Victoria Police rejects gender bias claims
A man who failed to get a job with Victoria Police’s elite Air Wing has filed a gender discrimination complaint. But police say claims that extra training was given to any applicants were wrong.
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Of the 38 tactical flight officers in Victoria Police’s elite Air Wing, just eight are women, including five recruited in the past 18 months.
Tactical flight officers — helicopter navigators who operate state-of-the-art equipment to track offenders and on search and rescue flights — have largely been men, but more and more women are seeking the job.
After a competitive selection process, women filled all three vacancies in the latest intake for the Air Wing. But diversification has not been welcomed by all, with an internal review and Professional Standards Command probe launched after a complaint of gender discrimination by one unsuccessful male candidate.
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It is understood a claim has been made that some candidates were given additional training during the selection process.
Police spokeswoman Beck Angel said: “As part of the expansion of Victoria Police’s Air Wing, an additional 12 tactical flight officers have been recruited over the past 18 months. In the most recent round of recruitment, three positions were advertised and the successful applicants were all females.”
But Ms Angel said that, while an unsuccessful candidate had asked for a review into the selection process and lodged a complaint with Professional Standards Command, claims that extra training was given to any applicants were wrong.
“Applicants all went through the exact same process, and any allegations to the contrary are simply untrue.
“Successful applicants are all selected based on merit.”
Police say they have no gender or diversification targets in either the Air Wing or across the force generally, but are “committed to creating an inclusive and diverse workforce that is reflective of the community it serves”.
Ms Angel said the introduction in recent years of flexible working arrangements and improved access to training and development had seen greater diversity in applicants.
“The increased number of female applicants at Air Wing is a positive example of this work. We do not fill roles to meet gender and diversity targets,” she said.
Police have embarked on a $63 million upgrade of the Air Wing, including three new helicopters and one new fixed-wing aircraft.