3rd March 2020

Police look to outsource guns, cars, dining. Unions call plan ‘stupid’ –Melb. Age 3/03/20

The Community Advocacy Alliance (CAA) totally agree with the Police Unions description of this initiative as “Stupid”.

Many of these functions are currently carried out by unsworn Police employees, so it is not a matter of efficiency or to put more ‘boots’ on the ground, no this strategy is to abrogate responsibility, have somebody else to blame.

Additionally, VicPol has an atrocious record of engaging contractors that has cost millions, the booze buses and IT are just two, the tip of the corporate failures.

If there is a need to trim costs, there are millions upon millions of dollars expended on Police legal actions that are generally unsuccessful, some spectacularly so. And surprise surprise no executive of VicPol is held to account for this shocking waste of our money. Some of these matters must border on ‘Misconduct in Public Office’, a criminal offence.

One would think that VicPol would have worked out by now that the ‘him over there’s problem’, management style is seriously flawed and the root cause of many if the ills of VicPol.

These embarrassing ills have been regularly exposed through the Royal Commission and in the Bourke Street Inquest where it became obvious that with over 400 Commissioned Officers within VicPol, not one stood up to take charge. The incident effectively spanned two days, so no excuse for not having an opportunity, a disgrace by any subjective assessment that cost lives.

Did anybody else notice that those that should have stood up but didn’t, rapidly came out from under their desks to criticize the poor sods left to handle the incident without leadership?

If the omniscient bosses won’t take responsibility; why should we, the troops on the ground; a refrain gaining traction throughout the organisation.

But the CAA has a solution.

The responsibility proposed to be relinquished needs to be calculated in monetary value and that value deducted from the executive salaries.

It logically follows that the value of their contract should be adjusted on a pro-rata basis to the responsibility they will no longer have –  that will save a couple of million.

In all good conscience, (an attribute in short supply) we would expect the executives would support this innovation whereby they are paid what they are worth – totally equitable and fair don’t you think?