Victoria Police might not be fully staffed until 2030 as hundreds of resignations loom

Hundreds of resignations are on the cards for the troubled Victoria Police, meaning the force might not be fully staffed for another five long years.

Victoria’s troubled police force may not be fully staffed for another five years as hundreds of members are tipped to resign by the end of the year.

Despite relaxing entrance requirements for recruits and doubling the number of new members in squads – cohorts of new recruits – Acting Victoria Police Chief Commissioner Bob Hill told parliament that it would be several years before the 1,100 vacant positions were filled.

“The latest estimations that have been provisioned to me, it’s anything between three to five years that we can hand on heart say that we will have 17,022 police members providing service to the community of Victoria,” Mr Hill told the Public Accounts and Estimates Committee this week.

On top of the dire recruitment figure, hundreds of other members, believed to include many senior police with years of experience, are set to retire after losing a “golden handshake” deal worth about $50m in drawn-out wage negotiations earlier this year.

Members who retire before the end of this year can cash in up to 12 months of accrued sick leave, but the clause will be scrapped after December 31.

On top of the dire recruitment figure, hundreds of other members, believed to include many senior police with years of experience. Picture: NewsWire / Diego Fedele

“There’s approximately 300 members that we’ve identified that could possibly depart our organisation by the end of the year,” Mr Hill said.

“We continue to do the modelling. It is unfortunately a lot of variables in play here.

“More recently, anecdotally I’m told that that may reduce because our members are taking advice from financial advisers and the advice is to some members that it might not be as viable as they first thought.”

Mr Hill said 700 members were on WorkCover or extended sick leave.

He said that figure did not include other members who were away on other types of leave.

Police Association secretary Wayne Gatt said the three to five year projection to rebuild staffing levels was “simply unacceptable”.

“The force has to radically review the way it recruits and find methods to turbo charge recruitment if these are its projections for the future,” he said.

“This is precisely why we need to entice people to become police and make it easier and cheaper to become police.

“It’s also why we have to really drill down on the issues within the job that are causing some of our experienced members to look elsewhere.”

It comes after the Herald Sun in March revealed that the embattled force had loosened its academic standards to lift abysmal recruitment numbers.

The 1,100 unfilled roles remain despite almost 160 applicants skipping the entrance exam that month.

Mr Hill has stepped in until former New Zealand top cop Mike Bush becomes the new chief later this month. Picture: NCA NewsWire / David Geraghty

Prospective recruits who achieve an Australian Tertiary Admission Ranking (ATAR) of 65 or above and a study score of at least 25 in English can skip the force’s entrance exam.

Defence personnel, firefighters, paramedics and interstate recruits who passed their entrance exams can also skip the Victorian test.

Shadow Police Minister David Southwick said “shrinking” police numbers put Victorians at risk.

“Victorians can’t wait five years for a fully staffed police force,” he said.

“They need real investment in training, retention, and frontline support now.

“Labor can’t manage community safety and Victorians are paying the price.”

Amid bids to boost recruitment numbers, Victoria Police has battled a major moral crisis fuelled by spiralling youth crime and mounting paperwork, as well as a revolving door among its top brass in recent months.

Former chief Shane Patton was ousted by the Allan government after a damning no-confidence vote in his leadership before his likely successor, then acting chief Rick Nugent, stepped away from the role after just 41 days amid a corruption probe.

Mr Hill has stepped in until former New Zealand top cop Mike Bush becomes the new chief later this month.

After Mr Nugent’s appointment, former assistant commissioner Neil Paterson was told his contract would not be renewed.

Victoria Police declined to comment further on the figures.

A government spokeswoman said Victoria had more police officers on the ground than any other jurisdiction and had provided funding for more than 3,600 new officers, saying recruitment struggles were not unique to Victoria Police.

“This year’s budget includes millions to run the successful Made for More recruitment campaign, and Victoria Police have streamlined training to get more recruits into the Academy and in more real-life situations,” she said.

Originally published as Victoria Police might not be fully staffed until 2030 as hundreds of resignations loom