Police union demands action on Melbourne CBD pursuit policy

VICTORIA’S police union has called for action to deal with vehicular threats in the city, a year after the Bourke Street tragedy which killed six people and injured 27 more.

VICTORIA’S police union has called for action to deal with vehicular threats in the city, a year after the Bourke Street tragedy which killed six people and injured 27 more.

“The (Victoria Police) pursuit policy does not account for the need to resolve a vehicle incursion into the city of Melbourne,’’ Police Association Victoria secretary Wayne Gatt told the Herald Sun.

“What is the plan for vehicle incursions? … The use of vehicles (as a weapon) is a worldwide trend,” he said.

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“For some pursuits, backing off is the right decision. (In others) the risk of doing nothing will be worse than taking decisive action,’’ Mr Gatt said.

The Police Association wants the State Government and Victoria Police command to adopt recommendations it made about police pursuits two years ago, which are yet to be implemented.

Recommendations on police pursuits were made two years ago and are yet to be adopted. Picture: Tony Gough

Mr Gatt told the Herald Sun he hoped the union’s recommendations would be adopted.

“Pursuit resolutions are still outstanding. There is a feeling they are inadequate,” he said.

Victoria Police’s pursuit policy was overhauled in 2015 after a coroner made critical findings about fatal chases.

But Mr Gatt said Victoria Police had a tendency to overreact to inquests.

The union’s recommendations formed part of the force’s last review, but the union remains critical of the policy. A Police Association survey of its members found 93 per cent thought the current pursuit policy inadequate.

“There is no silver bullet for dealing with the high-risk nature of pursuits,’’ Mr Gatt said.

“But we continually call on Victoria Police and the government to look at adopting outstanding recommendations we made before Bourke St.’’

Those include:

EQUIPPING all patrol vehicles with tyre deflation devices, known as stop sticks.

USING new technologies, such as Augmented Reality Mapping, to track fleeing cars.

A DEDICATED central command to oversee pursuits,

STRATEGIES to end a long-running pursuit,

INDEMNITY for police officers who take “reasonable” action to end a pursuit.

Flowers at a public memorial site for the Bourke St tragedy. Picture: David Crosling

Mr Gatt said police were confronted by a horrific scene in Bourke St last January 20.

“A number of officers described the scene as overwhelming because of the scale and the severity of the injuries, the sheer number of fatalities,’’ Mr Gatt said.

“Some members struggled at knowing where to start.

“We remain in awe of how police officers reacted to the situation they were thrown in to. They were courageous.

“They did the best they could with what they had.’’

The findings of an internal police review into the Bourke St incident and the lead-up to it have not been released.

But the Herald Sun can reveal charged suspects’ chances of being granted bail have doubled since the introduction of a night court last January 28.

Of those applying for bail, 23 per cent were freed, almost double the 14 per cent freed by bail justices the previous year.

As of January 7, 1202 people have faced the night court: 203 were granted bail, 665 were denied it, and 323 did not apply.

The night court sits at the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court from 5 to 9pm daily to hear bail and remand matters from across the metropolitan area.

Out-of-sessions applications in regional areas continue to be heard by bail justices, though some have also been heard at night court via an audiovisual link-up.

A government spokesman said there had been bail law reforms; $10 million was being spent on city security including bollards, speakers and CCTV; there were roving police Critical Incident Response Teams; and a centre to monitor the risk of “lone wolf” attacks was being funded. A fund had also raised $1.6 million for Bourke St victims and their families.

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@AnthonyDowsley