Officers will be spared from charges over the alleged police clothing allowance rort
Police officers who allegedly took advantage of a police clothing allowance — by identifying as non-binary to gain extra spending money — will be dealt with internally and will dodge criminal charges.
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Criminal charges will not be laid over alleged police clothing allowance rorts.
Instead, those accused of wrongdoing will be dealt with internally through the disciplinary process.
Detectives attached to operation Almond have spoken to dozens of members as part of what is described as an “ongoing” investigation.
It is expected the disparity between the male and female civilian clothing allowances will be part of enterprise bargaining between the force and the Police Association currently under negotiation.
The female allowance is $1300 higher than what is paid to male employees.
That is suspected of leading an unprecedented number of police to identify as non-binary because that status defaults to the female payment level.
Many male officers question why the women’s allowance is so much greater than that for men.
Police Association secretary Wayne Gatt said the current allowance arrangements were “antiquated, inequitable and need to be equalised.”
A Victoria Police statement said professional standards command detectives were continuing to investigate fraudulent civilian clothing allowance claims.
“Criminal charges were not authorised and discipline investigations have commenced,” the statement said.
The Herald Sun revealed in June that there were 130 members identifying as non-binary, compared with 32 in the previous year.
It prompted Chief Commissioner Shane Patton to order an investigation into allegations the allowance was being dishonestly exploited.
“Conduct of this sort, if validated, is not acceptable and falls far short of the standards I expect from Victoria Police members and the standards of behaviour outlined in our code of conduct and Victoria Police values,” Mr Patton said at the time.
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