‘Filthy, disgusting animals’: cops demand better pay in mass walkout

Police officers across Victoria have said they’re at “breaking point” as they try to protect the public while fending off violent protesters and constantly chasing down the worst repeat offenders.

Premier Jacinta Allan has shown police officers the “ultimate sign of disrespect” by refusing to front up to pay negotiations with Victoria Police, the shadow Police Minister says.

As hundreds of officers descended on Spencer St on Friday to demand better pay and an end to unpaid overtime, Brad Battin called on Ms Allan to address members directly after failed pay talks this year.

“There’s plenty of opportunities for the Premier or the Treasurer or the (police) Minister to come out and speak to the men and women of the Victoria Police Force,” Mr Battin said.

“They’ve refused to so far. That’s the ultimate sign of disrespect, and they won’t negotiate with them at all.

“What they’ve (police) highlighted today (Friday) is the disrespect towards Victoria Police by walking away from negotiations.”

Police gather outside Spencer st HQ at 11 during industrial dispute. Picture: NewsWire / Luis Enrique Ascui

Officers are demanding a pay increase and a ban on unpaid overtime.

Officers are demanding a six per cent pay rise each year for the next four years and a ban on unpaid overtime.

Members’ move to stop working for an hour and gather outside Victoria Police’s headquarters on Friday followed a string of demonstrations outside the force’s Glen Waverley academy and police stations across Victoria.

The crowd in the CBD included uniform officers, detectives, sergeants and PSOs, as well as members of specialist units such as sex crimes and crime command.

Some held banners and signs that said the force was at “breaking point”.

Despite revelations on Friday one of his key staffers had quit, Opposition Leader John Pesutto attended to show his support for officers.

Wayne Gatt, chief of The Police Association Victoria is greeted by the Opposition Leader John Pesutto outside Spencer St headquarters on Friday. Picture: Luis Enrique Ascui

The protests come after ongoing pay disputes between the police union and state government broke down earlier this year, with the Fair Work Commission brought in to decide the terms of the new pay agreement.

In June, the police union rejected a deal that would have brought in a four per cent pay rise over four per cent annual pay bump for the next four years, as well as nine-hour shifts and a nine-day fortnight.

At that time, the government had agreed to a $1bn pay deal for nurses that would give them a 28 per cent pay rise over the next four years.

The crowd of several hundred officers applauded when Police Association secretary Wayne Gatt said members were growing especially tired of having to manage out-of-control protests on top of managing major crimes without extra support.

Referring to the violent Land Forces protest on Spencer St bridge in September where more than two dozen officers were injured, Mr Gatt said: “Our members weeks ago had sh*t thrown at them, had rocks thrown at them … from filthy disgusting animals”.

“These are the people that week after week that front up to your protests on their days off on their kids’ birthdays to protests in the city to keep our community safe.

“We’ve got tobacco shops on fire every night, we’ve got two or three agg-burgs to deal with every night and the tsunami of victims that follow them, we’ve got a youth crime rate that is leading the country that is out of control. We want to get back to work.”

Mr Gatt said another major concern for police was having to chase down and lock up the same repeat offenders who continued to be bailed despite officers’ fears they posed a risk to the community.

Hundreds of officers gathered on Spencer St. Picture: NewsWire / Luis Enrique Ascui

On Thursday, a 17-year-old boy facing almost 60 charges was bailed, despite allegedly running rampant in a space of robberies and break-ins across Melbourne.

Meanwhile, Mr Gatt said a member had expressed concern to him about running around after another offender who had racked up 67 sets of bail.

“They grab crooks by the back and take them back to William St to watch them walk out the door day after day after day,” he said.

“Sixty-seven times we’re doing our jobs. Time over. Help us, we’re drowning.

“What brickie lays the same brick 67 times? What carpenter builds the same house 67 times?

“We don’t want to be at war with crooks and with the government at the same time.”

Officers outside Victoria Police HQ on Spencer St. Picture: NewsWire / Luis Enrique Ascui

Melbourne West Sergeant Joe Sellars, who has been a police officer for 11 years, said his team members were working on their days off to try to clear paperwork from mounting investigations.

“Each of those members in there probably has something around 20 investigations they’re carrying, so that’s 20 victims of crime they’re trying to help,” he said.

“I’ve seen members come in in plain clothes, on their rest days, on their holidays, to get their cases done and it’s not for anyone but the victims.”

Scott Weber, President of the Police Federation of Australia, said interstate police forces were ready to hire Victorian officers who felt undervalued.

There are more than 1000 vacancies in the force, while more than 700 members are understood to be off on sick leave.

A Victorian Government spokesperson said Victoria Police officers played a critical role in protecting the community and saving lives, and the government had delivered a record $4.5bn to the force to ensure it had the resources needed to keep Victorians safe.

After a protracted negotiation period, Victoria Police sought the assistance of the Fair Work Commission in progressing bargaining, the spokesperson said.

The Fair Work Commission will hand down its decision on the new agreement by the end of the year.