Police pass ‘overwhelming’ no-confidence vote in top cop

Chief commissioner of Victoria Police Shane Patton faces calls to step down after an overwhelming vote of no-confidence from more than 14,000 officers in a police union ballot.

However, Patton rejected calls from the Police Association of Victoria to resign, despite 87 per cent of members saying they had lost faith in the state’s highest-ranking officer.

Victoria Police Chief Commissioner Shane Patton.Credit: Eddie Jim

“This result is obviously disappointing on a personal front,” Patton said on Friday.

“Rest assured my commitment to the role of chief commissioner has not wavered, and I will continue to lead this organisation. My priority remains firm on providing the best service to the community to keep them safe and supporting members.”

Patton, who is in negotiations with the Allan government to extend his contract for another five-years, conceded the state had experienced a surge in crime rates under his watch, while the force struggled to retain and recruit officers to curb the problem.

He said there was no “silver bullet” to fix Victoria’s soaring crime rates, but insisted his focus remained on developing strategies and introducing operational responses to tackle issues confronting the force.

Police Association president Karl David urged Patton to reconsider.

“Our members have spoken emphatically. They do not have confidence in the chief commissioner to manage and lead Victoria Police in the future,” David said.

“Our members need urgent fixes to critical failings in policing and for this to occur there needs to be change at the top with a fresh direction.”

David also warned the state government against renewing Patton’s contract.

“The Police Association urges the government to listen to its police and [protective services officers]. They want to solve the community’s crime and safety crisis, but to do this, they need confidence in their leadership,” he said.

“It is clear this confidence does not exist.”

The union vote against Patton was prompted by issues including long delays in negotiating a new enterprise bargaining agreement for members, morale and staff retention problems and a perception that force command had failed to adequately respond to rising youth crime.

More than 14,500 officers – about 83 per cent of the entire force – participated in the vote. Less than 13 per cent of respondents retained confidence in Patton to lead.

“The chief commissioner, on his appointment to the role, promised a ‘back to basics’ policing approach. That simply hasn’t happened,” David said

“The reverse has occurred – police stations have closed, services have diminished, crime has dramatically risen, while community satisfaction has fallen.”

Police Minister Anthony Carbines said a process was underway for the role of chief commissioner and it would be inappropriate to comment further.

“We acknowledge the result of the vote by TPAV and its members and we value the hard work that our police officers and PSOs do every day in keeping Victorians safe,” he said.

Last month, the stand-off between the Allan government and police appeared to have ended when 67 per cent of the state’s members endorsed a draft version of a new pay deal.

The deal, which will be put to members for formal approval in the next fortnight, would see frontline police officers receive a 5 per cent annual pay increase over the next four years, while non-frontline officers would receive a 4.5 per cent increase in remuneration.

While less than the 6 per cent the police union was seeking, the proposed deal would also end an unpopular requirement that officers spend time kitting up before their shifts began.

Officers will also give up a controversial policy that allowed retiring members to cash out up to a year’s salary in sick leave accrued over their career, which is expected to save the government up to $50 million annually.

If formally approved, a new enterprise bargaining agreement would end a hostile 18-month campaign by the police union, which included snap strikes at stations across the state and personal attacks on the chief commissioner over his handling of the dispute.

The government upped the ante in November, when it asked the Fair Work Commission to intervene in the increasingly bitter dispute.

The union responded in January by derailing a press conference held by Acting Premier Ben Carroll at a Werribee childcare centre, where a police helicopter circled from above, while patrol cars with industrial action slogans positioned themselves near media.

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