To see police involved in a fracas at the recent Pride march is deplorable. This outcome was inevitable, and police should never have put themselves in this position.
Irrespective of who was the instigator of the melee, the Police, instead of performing the police function to solve a social problem, were part of it.
The seeds for this outcome were sown some twenty years ago when the Police moved from policing the event to being part of it.
The CAA logo features Lady Justice, who is depicted as blindfolded, showing Justice is blind.
The meaning is profound and forms the basis of our Justice system, which includes the Police.
Police must never become part of the issue and remain independent to exercise their powers in a dispassionate way, not showing favouritism or bias to the problems they are policing.
Being part of this march destroys impartiality and undermines the fundamental role of the Police.
We also noticed Police uniforms adorned in trinkets supporting the pride genera. These displays, supporting a particular cause, would be irreverent to many and detract from the impartiality that Police should project and preserve.
These displays must not be worn on uniforms or, for that matter, any clothing while a police member is on duty. It is a matter of professional pride.
It also could be argued that this police activity is in breach of their Oath of Office.
…that I will well and truly serve our Sovereign as a police officer in Victoria in any capacity in which I may be appointed, promoted, or reduced to, without favour or affection, malice or ill-will for the period of [ insert period ] from this date, and until I am legally discharged, that I will see and cause the peace to be kept and preserved, and that I will prevent to the best of my power all offences, and that while I continue to be a police officer I will to the best of my skill and knowledge discharge all the duties legally imposed on me faithfully and according to law.
This issue has nothing to do with the personal preferences exercised by any member of the Force in their private lives. That is their business, and if they want to march, they have every right to participate, just not in uniform.
In many ways, this clash was inevitable.
According to reports, there has been anti-police sentiment for a long time, and leadership should have been taken to avoid the inevitable confrontation.
In this event, participants dress up gregariously, as is their right; however, by high-level participation by the Police, they are relegating the uniform to fancy dress.
There are always huge risks when police favour one particular group, and we are confident that the Police Command would not tolerate uniformed Police marching in solidarity with Black Lives Matter, anti-COVID, Union movement, anti-government, environmental or the myriad of other special interest groups.
The test may again come as those who support Palestine become more vociferously anti-Israel as that war drags on.
Police, like all Australians, are entitled to exercise their right to lawful assembly, just not in uniform.
We encourage Victoria Police, in the interest of fair justice for all, to issue a direction that police on or off duty cannot participate in any demonstrations or cause in uniform.
Demonstrating a bias for or against any particular interest group is counterintuitive to effective policing.
100% correct.
I’m left wondering whether those members of the police force, who would never join a political demonstration such as this, despise those less principled colleagues who foolishly shred their professional reputation.
Whatever happened to police impartiality?
It was always important, in my experience, that police enforced the law with impartiality and without fear or favour.
Encouraging inclusion is all very well, and that has always been important, but marching with a certain group of people is going too far – and if this rationale of inclusion is to be the norm, who next?
You are so spot on my father was in the Police Force NSW I have a Brother in AFP.
This lunacy has to stop now Police are not doing the job their paid for because Govt has taken all their powers away they are leaving the force in droves. So dissolutioned it is not what they signed up for we need change NOW.
Tell me about it….
Look what they did to me. 37 years of loyal service. And no help from the TPA.
Please correct me if I’m wrong, but didn’t VicPol march in a black lives matter demonstration? I seem to recall they did. It looks to me that if there is a politically left-leaning cause they’re all in. I agree they shouldn’t take part in any such events, but it would appear they have been co-opted by the government’s social reengineering agenda.
The public image of VicPol directly influences the attitude of the public to police, both on duty and off duty. In turn, attitude guides behaviour. Every “demonstration” or “march” in which police members identifiably participate, as supporters or opponents, will split the wider community. Those VicPol members who directly demonstrate, effectively cause problems for themselves, and for all police members, in the community. Wisdom suggests that to avoid conflict, all opinions about politics, religion and sex should be kept private. Certainly, the police uniform should never be visibly involved, other than being worn by members keeping the peace. The publicly lost trust of police will take a long time to re-establish. The public image of police has a strong impact on recruitment and retention. Direct police involvement in demonstrations is currently extremely expensive.
Excellent and well balanced article. I am in total agreement with sentiments expressed. The rot started with Christine Nixon who put the Force into disrepute. Suffice to talk to older members. The will tell you in no one certain terms what damage she did to the Force reputation.
The discontinuation of the highly successful Police in Schools Program under her watch was a blunder for which we are no paying dearly in terms of worrysome increase of crime in society. Let us hope that the current police leadership will realise its importance and will re-introduce it in our schools without delay.