Lib pans top cop Simon Overland on Facebook

A POLITICAL rowhas erupted over Simon Overland after a Liberal MP suggested Victoria's top cop would be replaced.

A POLITICAL rowhas erupted over Simon Overland after a Liberal MP suggested Victoria's top cop would be replaced.

The MP said Mr Overland would go if the Coalition were elected in November.

Upper house backbencher Bernie Finn used the social networking site Facebook to attack Mr Overland, saying he was incompetent and a "political appointee" of the Brumby government.

In a message posted on the weekend, Mr Finn said he was "dreaming of when Victoria will have a real police officer as chief commissioner".

He said Mr Overland and his predecessor, Christine Nixon, were "political appointees who have proven themselves incompetent in the areas of law enforcement and community protection".

Asked by a Facebook friend "When can we get a real copper running the show?" Mr Finn replied "After November 27. . .", which is the date of the Victorian election.

Premier John Brumby yesterday jumped on the comments, saying it was "bad space" for the opposition to be publicly denigrating Mr Overland and the state's police.

Opposition Leader Ted Baillieu was last night forced to reiterate support for Mr Overland.

"Once you get into this business, as we have seen from Bernie Finn and some other opposition members, of publicly denigrating and attacking the Chief Commissioner of police, it's a bad space to be," Mr Brumby said. "I don't think it helps his party, I don't think it helps police (and) I don't think it helps confidence that the public has in Victoria Police."

ADDITIONAL REPORTING: AAP