Shocking surge in pandemic-related abuse of police

Protesters are resorting to shock intimidation tactics, with an incredible surge in threats made to police amid pandemic-related unrest.

Chief Commissioner Shane Patton on the rooftop of the new police headquarters in Melbourne. Picture: Alex Coppel

Chief Commissioner Shane Patton says there has been an extraordinary surge in the level of threats against police amid pandemic-related unrest.

Mr Patton told the Herald Sun criminal threats linked to protest activity were increasingly being used to intimidate his members via social media and their work email addresses.

The force’s security intelligence unit and fixated threat assessment centre have been dealing with what he described as “exponential growth” in such cases.

Mr Patton said there had been an alarming level of “doxxing”, the malicious sharing of private or identifying details about members.

Those responsible were not from a single sphere and were also zeroing in on politicians and other public figures.

“It’s not just right-wing. It’s people with views that are extreme, people with mental health issues,” he said.

“It’s significant threats.”

Many of the police targeted had phone cameras jammed in their faces by demonstrators and had their photos and IDs published online.

Officers covering such rallies are now only displaying their service numbers so they cannot be privately tracked later.

Police have increasingly come under fire in recent months. Picture: Jason Edwards

Mr Patton said in one case, a member who was on leave at the time of a demonstration was the subject of a bungled campaign of intimidation.

“It’s an emerging and increasing issue. We’ve charged a lot of people,” he said.

Organised work email campaigns have been launched against members, including those in senior positions.

“My email isn’t full of fan mail, I can tell you,” Mr Patton said.

Mr Patton said the up to 800-officer policing of the regular, well-attended protests of the past 20 months had been “challenging”.

He said his members had been instructed to exercise discretion and conceded many of those marching had been people who had suffered heavily through the pandemic.

But Mr Patton said there were troublemakers who were skilled and strategic, using encrypted apps to communicate and organising legal monitoring.

He said such gatherings were, at various stages, banned under law by the chief health officer and it was the police’s job to enforce those rules, which they did at the risk of assault and contracting Covid.

“We didn’t set those rules. They (police) did apply discretion. The protesters are the ones who set the outcomes. We didn’t set the confrontation,” he said.

Police have been slammed for excessive use of force during lockdown. Picture: Jason Edwards

A number of incidents involving police use of force during the demonstrations are under internal investigation.

“Some shouldn’t have occurred. We’re dealing with those,” he said.

Mr Patton conceded the force could have worked better with the media when it banned broadcast choppers from air space above protests.

He said “we’ll learn” but added that live telecasts were giving protesters an edge at the time.

“It was an operational decision. There was a live feed being used by protesters to avoid us apprehending them,” Mr Patton said.

Mr Patton, who is about to complete his first full year as chief, said 2021 had been a hectic, challenging and exciting year.

He said police had dealt with 44,000 offences which, in a pre-pandemic period, did not exist.

“We’ve had to deliver business as usual. I couldn’t be prouder of everyone,” he said.

“I love it. It’s a privilege.”

Next year, Mr Patton said, the force would continue working towards back-to-basics, neighbourhood policing

He said visible police presence and maintaining community confidence were key elements of the job ahead.

“We don’t want a huge snapback on crime.”

POLICE REFUSING VACCINATIONS

Mr Patton said about 100 of 16,000 members have refused mandated Covid jabs.

He said some would face disciplinary hearings for failing to comply with Chief Commissioner orders.

“The probability is that they’ll be dismissed.”

Mr Patton said the force would lose good people over the issue.

Some had already resigned and others were rethinking their position, he said.

It was an important issue because police were required to interact with the public and vulnerable people.

VICTORIA POLICE’S IMAGE

There had been some damage to the force’s image during the pandemic era, Mr Patton said.

He said this was against a backdrop of enforcing laws previously unheard of such as 5km travel limits and blocking movement between city and country which were part of hundreds of thousands of extra contacts between police and the public.

“Even to be separating people fighting over toilet paper,” he said

“We didn’t want to be in the business of doing that. I think our image is still pretty good. There’s no doubt there has been some damage to our image.”

Police examined the “red shirts” affair involving the ALP. Picture: Julian Smith

RED SHIRTS

Mr Patton rejected any suggestion of interference in the “red shirts” investigation, which examined the ALP’s use of electorate office funding for party-political purposes.

“That’s rubbish,” he said.”

Mr Patton defended his use of the word “exonerated” when announcing in 2019 that no members of parliament would be charged as a result of the inquiry.

“There was no evidence to support the offence, so that’s the outcome,” he said.

Mr Patton said the force was examining whether comments in an IBAC hearing about the Red Shirts affair by renegade Labour MP Adam Somyurek had any bearing on the allegations.

“We’re assessing whether the comments made will make any difference.”

I COOK FOODS

Mr Patton earlier this year ordered a review of the initial I Cook Foods investigation, which found no charges should be laid over allegations a slug was planted in a kitchen of the Dandenong South business.

Asked why no one was interviewed in the initial inquiry, he said: “Is there any basis for it? Clearly they (investigators) didn’t believe there was. They determined there was no need to interview anyone.”

Mr Patton said detectives from a new investigation had put together a 600-page brief, collected 23 statements and executed four warrants.

That material was with the Victorian Government Solicitor’s Office for evaluation.

Police and forensics search for remains of Wonnangatta campers Russell Hill and Carol Clay near Dargo. Picture: Jason Edwards

WONNANGATTA MISSING CAMPERS

The investigation into the murders of Russell Hill and Carol Clay was an example of outstanding police work, Mr Patton said.

Missing persons squad detectives last week charged Greg Lynn with murdering the pair and on Tuesday recovered their remains in bush near Dargo.

“It was an amazing investigation. I’m very proud of Victoria Police as a whole organisation led by the missing persons squad.”

COURT DELAYS

Mr Patton said many were affected by the backlog in cases, members of the public and police informants among them.

“Many victims have had the closure of their matters delayed,” he said

Mr Patton said there were 400 police prosecutors with a big job amid the backlog in cases.