New police chief to face deepening financial crisis as officer unrest grows

The new head of Victoria Police will face a tough start to the job due to expected cutbacks in the force’s next budget and growing unrest among rank-and-file officers.

Victoria Police is in the midst of its worst leadership crisis in more than a decade after a vote of no confidence in Chief Commissioner Shane Patton was passed by 87 per cent of police officers on Friday.

Officers are embroiled in a disputed enterprise bargaining agreement process.Credit: Jason South

The unprecedented move was quickly followed by the Allan government announcing Patton’s tenure would not be renewed in June, reversing its position of just a week ago.

On Sunday, it was still unclear whether Patton would see out the remaining months of his contract or resign early to make way for an interim replacement or a new chief nominated by the state government.

At a press conference, minister Lily D’Ambrosio declined to say whether an acting chief commissioner would be appointed to replace Patton or how the government would work with the police chief if he stayed on for the next four months.

She said Premier Jacinta Allan and Police Minister Anthony Carbines would provide an update about Patton’s situation on Monday.

“The premier and the minister for police are receiving briefings from their department secretaries this weekend,” she said. “Tomorrow, they will be out and we’ll have more say on the process for the selection of the chief commissioner.”

When asked whether Patton had been used as a scapegoat, D’Ambrosio said she would not make a running commentary on assertions made through the media.

“We stand by Victoria Police each and every day, whether they are the constable on the beat or right up to the chief commissioner and everyone in between,” she said.

D’Ambrosio would not comment on whether the end of Patton’s contract had been handled disrespectfully after his impending departure was announced through the media on Friday night.

Speaking at a community safety rally in Hampton on Sunday, opposition police spokesman David Southwick said he believed Patton should be sacked, but the state government was using him as a scapegoat for all Victoria’s crime issues.

“Ultimately, the police minister has been the one that should have been fixing the issues that we have – an under-resourced police force, an underfunded police force,” he said.

“But there is no question that if Shane Patton is … asking for more money and asking for tougher laws and not getting them, then there’s only so much he can do.”

State shadow treasurer James Newbury also attended the rally.

It is the first time Victoria Police has been swept into a leadership crisis since the resignation of Simon Overland in 2011 after it emerged “misleading” crime statistics had been released by the force.

The incoming chief will face an organisation in serious trouble, including a workforce embroiled in a disputed enterprise bargaining agreement process, a growing law and order crisis in the state, and the expected dire financial situation the force will face after the state budget in May.

Two sources familiar with Victoria Police’s operations, who are not authorised to speak publicly, said the force was being pressured to accept a steep funding cut and find other alternative savings by slashing operations that could amount to hundreds of millions of dollars.

One source claimed the effective cuts could amount to a $2 billion hit to the force’s finances over four years. Another source said the hit would be a minimum $1 billion over the same period. Victoria Police’s budget allocation was $4.31 billion in 2024.

A government spokesperson said the $2 billion figure was “categorically wrong”.

“Victoria Police has not been asked to find $2 billion in savings,” the spokesperson said. “All government entities have an obligation to stick to their budgets – Victoria Police is no different.”

There is expected to be pressure on police command to reduce “non-core functions”, while still attempting to increase the police’s visibility and operations in the midst of what is considered a growing violent crime wave.

Victoria Police Chief Commissioner Shane Patton.Credit: Chris Hopkins

But sources familiar with the recruitment process say applicants to take the top job may be able to demand greater and faster co-operation from the government to pass new laws, including tightening the bail system, to appeal to voters concerned about the state of law and order in Victoria.

There is also a legacy of bitterness left to contend with among the 17,700 members of Victoria Police.

“The force has been through bad times before and, granted, this is a particularly bad one on a lot of indicators for us,” the Police Association of Victoria secretary Wayne Gatt told 3AW on Sunday. “But the reality is our people will walk through broken glass for you if they feel you have their backs. But they need to know the people on top of them have their backs, and they sent a strong message on Friday to us and to the community – that does not exist at this point in time.”

The vote on a new enterprise bargaining agreement, set for February 24, may also be a source of disruption.

The police union’s first attempt to present an agreement was voted down by members as inadequate in July 2024, the culmination of a near two-year negotiation process with Victoria Police and the state government.

A non-binding poll of members found 67 per cent were intending to vote to accept the new deal endorsed by the union.

But numerous police sources have said the vote of no confidence in Patton – while conclusive – was called amid growing disquiet among unionised members about the proposed agreement.

“Look, it was always going to go heavily against Patton with how we feel after the last five years. But it’s also a sideshow from the vote of no confidence we should be having in Gatt and the union,” a veteran police officer and union member who spoke on the condition of anonymity said.

“The EB negotiations have been a mess, the leadership [of the union] is a mess. This isn’t the deal we want, and lots of people are talking about voting ‘no’. It’s really a matter if there’s the strength to go through this all again.”

Dissatisfaction seems to be coalescing around a decision to accept the cancellation of a special entitlement that allowed Victoria Police members who are close to the end of their careers to receive a year’s pay in advance if they go on sick leave before retirement for injuries unrelated to work.

In a private Facebook page maintained by the Police Association, members have been venting about the loss in exchange for a pay rise, encouraging members to vote down the agreement.

A veteran and highly respected homicide detective posted: “The government is approaching an election in a few months. They won’t want this pay dispute with its police force hanging over its head.”

Others lambasted the Police Association as “the Judas Association”.

“Members are selling their rights to tens of thousands of dollars when they need it for a pittance now,” one posted.

Gatt said the enterprise bargaining agreement and the vote of no confidence in Patton were two separate issues.

“I think members will see [the agreement] on its merits,” he said. “I hope they get informed, they make the right decisions. It’s unfortunate it’s happening at the same time, but I think they’re mature enough to see an EB is quite distinct from the leadership issues that they’ve been calling out.”

Gatt would not be drawn on whether the agreement would be voted up. “I’ll leave that one to my members,” he told 3AW.

Ambrosio declined to comment on whether the vote of no confidence would create issues for the EBA vote.

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