Victoria Police spends $46m on settling police misconduct, civil cases

Victoria Police is spending millions of dollars a year settling claims brought against officers as civil action against the force reaches record levels.

Victoria Police is spending almost $10m a year settling claims brought against its officers as civil action against the force reaches record levels.

New data has revealed that since 2020 the agency has spent $46.5m settling 345 claims filed against police misconduct, with 75 cases filed over the last financial year.

That figure is the highest over the last five years, with police attributing the rise in cases to the final settlement of some long running litigations.

A police spokesman said it was too difficult to detail the nature of the claims, and said payouts included both settlements and court awarded costs.

“Victoria Police conducts a thorough investigation before the finalisation of any civil matter and our decisions are always based on independent legal advice,” he said.

“Civil litigation against Victoria Police is rare compared with the thousands of interactions our members have with the public every day.

“Financial settlements can fluctuate each year depending on the number of matters and when they were resolved, with some cases running over several years before reaching a conclusion.

“The rise recorded so far this financial year is largely attributable to a number of long-running complex matters being resolved.”

Data reveals $46.5m was spent by the force settling 345 claims since 2020. Picture: Sarah Matray

The police spokesman said individual settlement amounts were generally not disclosed at the agreement of the parties involved.

There were also sometimes legal restrictions in place preventing any acknowledgment civil action even exists.

Analysis of publicly available annual reports shows that there has been a surge in police being dismissed from the force for disciplinary reasons in recent years.

Last financial year 11 officers were forced off the beat while 87 others were charged with disciplinary offences.

In the 2023 financial year a further 11 officers were dismissed while 30 were forced out in 2022.

Over the past decade 903 charges have been laid against 711 officers, leading to the dismissal of 85.

Last financial year 11 officers were forced off the beat and 87 were charged with disciplinary offences. Picture: Diego Fedele

Inner Melbourne Community Legal CEO, Nadia Morales, called for the introduction of a fully independent Police Ombudsman.

“Millions of taxpayer dollars are being spent by police on civil litigation settlements to make problems go away rather than addressing systemic issues with the way police interact with the public and deal with complaints,” she said.

“What is most concerning is that police misconduct is being hidden from the public by these out-of-court settlements.

“There must be more accountability and transparency about police misconduct and justice for individuals.

“This is why Victoria must have an independent Police Ombudsman to investigate complaints about police conduct in an open and transparent way.”

Last year almost two thirds, or 64 per cent, of all complaints received by the Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission related to Victoria Police.

IBAC assessed a total of 3016 allegations about Victoria Police received in 2249 complaints, up 15 per cent compared to complaints received in 2023.

Originally published as Victoria Police spends $46m on settling police misconduct, civil cases