‘Admin in a vest’: Victoria Police officers wasting time on paperwork and repetitive reporting, union says

Victoria’s police union is pushing for a cut down on admin tasks crippling the force, with officers saying offenders are back out on bail before they have even completed all their paperwork.

An avalanche of paperwork is one of the greatest time-wasters for Victoria’s police, crime fighters and their union say.

Many years after it was predicted technological change would eliminate the paperwork scourge, rank and file cops say it remains one of the biggest impediments to the state’s officers doing their job.

Members have spoken of their dismay at charged offenders being freed on bail before they have even completed the paperwork.

Police Association secretary Wayne Gatt said repetitive processes and “countless” levels of approval were swallowing vast amounts of what should be productive time.

Officers say offenders are being freed on bail before they even finish the necessary paperwork. Picture: Supplied

Excessive expectations for detailed written reports had become a massive drain on an organisation which already had stretched resources, Mr Gatt said.

“They cost us results and in service delivery. It ultimately undermines community safety,” he said

Mr Gatt said workflows needed to be streamlined so jobs could be completed with the smallest administrative burden.

He said police accepted paperwork was part of the job but the administrative requirements for important tasks like family violence jobs was overly burdensome.

“One unit can be held up with the job for six hours, almost an entire shift. That’s not sustainable,” he said.

Intervention order preparation and service was another massive consumer of time.

The extra onus was often made clearest in discussions with those who had served in other jurisdictions and were shocked at the level of paperwork in Victoria, Mr Gatt said.

It was hoped two decades ago that technology would streamline the administrative burden on police, freeing them up for their core duties.

“The paperwork has probably tripled since then. It was supposed to make our lives easier,” one officer said.

Rostered paperwork days often get cancelled due to lack of available officers, meaning the load continues to mount. Picture: David Geraghty

Changes to requirements on disclosure have meant detectives now must produce much more material for court proceedings than they had previously.

Another officer said he and colleagues were confronted with an “exhausting, disillusioning bureaucracy” that demanded hours of paperwork for every incident.

“Minor interactions require major paperwork. Officers spend more time in front of a computer than in their cars or out on the street,” that officer said.

“It’s not a policing job any more. It’s admin in a vest.”

Redundant paperwork, multiple systems and repetitive reporting meant vast amounts of time which could be better spent went down the drain.

“One form turns into three. One arrest turns into hours of computer time. And the worst part of it? It often goes nowhere,” the member said.

“This is the daily reality. You start your shift already behind. Your inbox is full, your caseload is stacked and you haven’t even left the station.”

Rostered paperwork days were often cancelled because of a lack of available officers, meaning the load continues to mount.

“You arrest a guy for breaking into a store. He’s high, he’s aggressive, he’s done it plenty of times before. You’ll get him processed, spend hours on the paperwork, sometimes even unpaid overtime and before you’ve even finished recording it in the system, he’s out on bail and ready to do it all again the next day,” the officer said.

Originally published as ‘Admin in a vest’: Victoria Police officers wasting time on paperwork and repetitive reporting, union says