19th February 2021
Twenty years ago, a political experiment, a vanguard of gender diversity, gave us a Chief Commissioner that turned Policing in Victoria on its head. Some of her contributions had merit, but overall the tenure could not be marked other than down. This heralded an era of Chief Commissioners each with a substantial leadership deficit.
This also was the beginning of an era that saw commissioners replaced with their equals and arguably achieved an overall decline in Policing. Moving through these twenty years, the Chief Commissioners could only be described as bureaucrats, with leadership skills in short supply and an apparent lack of understanding of Police philosophy, what policing is all about,-service to the community.
There were a number of common threads that linked these commissioners through this era apart from the lack of operational Police experience a vital component in understanding how they were supposed to perform.
The Lawyer X saga, arguably the most significant management/leadership failure in modern policing history, and an era when Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) seemed to blossom, cutting down many a good police member and ruining many police careers and their families, culminating in a worrying increase in Police suicides at different times rivalling the Road Toll.
The evolution of an internal discipline system that could be argued plunged into unconscionable behaviours best illustrated by one of the most demeaning and deliberate soul-destroying practices, the ’walk of shame’. Police were paraded before the media, often in handcuffs, who were only alleged to have committed a crime, but not convicted or even brought before a court. Most of Victoria’s worst criminals were not treated in this way.
This behaviour, where good characters were trashed, was only marginally more sophisticated than the medieval pillory, which was at least used after prosecution, not before.
And above all else, a rising crime rate, notable because of the increased violence of perpetrators, particularly youth coupled with a wanton and deliberate disconnect between Police and the community.
The Community Advocacy Alliance (CAA) warned Victoria Police and the Government that a crime tsunami was evolving, which broke out as predicted in 2016. Warnings were ignored, so the public of Victoria wore the brunt and the cost.
Had Victoria been following standard police philosophies this break out may have been averted.
Our suggestions and recommendations numbering into the hundreds designed to bring VicPol ‘back on track’ were routinely rejected by Victoria Police and the CAA suffered years of derision and ridicule from the Victoria Police executives. This derision and ridicule intended to diminish our resolve, actually made us more determined.
That, however, is in the past, and with the appointment of new Chief Commissioner Mr Shane Patton APM in July 2020, and a chance at a new beginning. There is pleasing early evidence of an awakening of policing in this State.
The CAA has been involved in constructive dialogue with the Chief since his appointment and was honoured recently by the Chief accepting an invitation to be the keynote speaker at our AGM.
CCP Patton addressed the membership and set out his philosophy for policing. The address by Patton had one veteran commenting, “This is music to my ears” and the CCP’s Staffer observing he detected an overall feeling of relief by the CAA members.
Yet another non-police member of the CAA commented that what the Police veterans had been ‘banging on’ about for years was actually right.
The Philosophical approach for policing in 2020 and beyond, presented by the Chief Commissioner was;
Chief Commissioners vision 2020
A back to basics approach to community safety involving:
- Visible presence of Police on foot patrols at crowded places (e.g. shopping centres and transport hubs) and patrolling main arterial roads.
- Relentless enforcement.
- Targeting of high impact, high harm offenders.
- Focusing as well on general crime, road trauma, family violence and counter-terrorism.
- Crime prevention.
Community engagement to:
- foster trust and confidence in Victoria Police.
- Demonstrate our transparency and professionalism.
- Maintain satisfaction with policing services.
- Encourage contribution from the community regarding safety.
Acting decisively and positively with:
- Integrity
- Clear direction, expectations and spans of control.
- A sense of obligation to act on issues as you come across them.
- Decisions made at the appropriate level.
- Deadlines and commitments met.
Safeguarding our workforce by:
- Continuing to promote mental health and wellbeing, including:
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- Proactive support and early intervention.
- Building resilience levels and strategies.
- Timely and accessible services for those seeking help.
- Actively supporting staff to return to work.
- Continuing to improve the physical safety of our workplaces by:
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- Ensuring we have the safest policies and practices in place.
- Monitoring that staff are applying these policies and practices.
- Constantly scanning for better policies, practices and equipment.
Demonstrating our commitment to fairness, equality and diversity through:
- Transparent and defensible decision-making.
- Gender equality in opportunities, selections and promotions.
- Deliberate action to diversify our recruitment and development pools.
Reforming our service delivery model by:
- Rethinking the services we provide and how we provide them.
- Considering what services we should stop, start or expand.
- Updating our operating model to operationalise our service delivery reforms.
There are a substantial number of synergies between the CCP‘s philosophy and the CAA position. Given this alignment, the CCP has initiated a protocol with the CAA to enable effective and seamless communication, allowing the CAA to better support the CCP and Victoria Police.
It is one thing to have a sharp focus on what needs to be done; it is another to ensure it translates across the Force into Police operations and procedures. Only time will tell, but at least a solid foundation is now in place to build on.
There are many challenges ahead for the CCP, and by our assessment, CCP Patton seems to be up for it; however, there is an obligation on all Police members and veterans too, where possible, support his endeavours and give him a chance.
We would liken the challenge he faces, to turning the Titanic heading for an inevitable Armageddon.
It will take a mammoth effort to correct the path, and we all need to provide any help we can.
It was of interest that the CCP during his address was adamant that Veterans are part of the Police family, something many of us have questioned over recent years. It was encouraging to hear that the CCP has already introduced initiatives that are more than just an extension of the lip service offered to previously.
Amongst the most significant challenges VicPol faces is a substantial percentage of the Police workforce, through no fault of their own, do not understand the concept of ‘Esprit de Corps’ let alone the fundamental obligations and role of being a sworn Police member. They may have learnt it by rote but fail to grab the concept.
They have been recruited on the mythological concept of “Anybody can do it”, rather than ’ It is not just a job but a way of life’. Over time, the recruiting and selection processes have been so compromised; basically, anybody can get in. How many are capable of fulfilling the police role adequately is problematic.
This Myth has seen many Police recruited that are not suitable for Police work and has created the monumental management headache that recruits are looking for a desk job on average just four years into their career. That is the average, so presumably, many do not last that long before seeking refuge from operational Policing when the harsh reality of Policing kicks in, and the novelty wears off.
The irrefutable fact is that if Police are recruited on their suitability to perform the Police function, physically, sociologically and psychologically, all the advantages supposedly addressed by recruiting from a broad-church, will be rectified and the need to recruit to achieve diversity and reflect social minority causes will evaporate.
Nothing is more effective than a good Police member supported by adequate supervision and all the other alleged social deficits needing the broad-church approach, will not be required. Pursuing a diversity biased selection process can create unintended victims. The very people that are recruited can end up suffering and fail as Police.
No more than a CAA suggestion; suitable Veterans who are interested could mentor some of these junior Police. With their experience and life skills, guide them through the various mires of Policing. A phone call here and there or an occasional cup of coffee could make a massive difference to a junior members performance and resilience.
That is an area Veterans may be able to assist the Chief Commissioner to achieve his goals for the Victoria Police Force.
Gents,
What a refreshing read, I will support the CCP and the new partnership with the CAA.
You know my thoughts in relation to demonstrating and educating our former colleagues with a myriad of mental health issues.
Kindest regards,
Vicki Key OAM
A very refreshing excellent item. Having been present at the AGM I totally agree with all mentioned. CCP PATTON has a major task to bring the Police Force back to anything like a truly reflective workforce of what we all once knew and know.
After so many years of darkness, finally a breath of fresh air! Chief Commissioner Patton should applauded and supported for his endeavour to return to the core function of policing, namely community involvement, proactive policing in our diverse society. I tust that under his command every member of Victoria Police will know that once he/she carries out policing duties professionally within the spirit of law that they will be supported by police management. On the other hand those who conduct themselves unprofessionally will have no place in the organisation.
Given the Chief’s vision for policing under his watch I am confident that Victoria Police will regain the confidence and respect of the community it deserves.
This is a refreshing read. Back to basics policing. Get members out of the messroom and back on the beat with foot patrols and far greater community involvement. In my town where I served for close on 14 years, the station consisted of a sergeant plus 5. The townspeople knew all of us by our first names. Not so today. Very few people in this town can name even one police member nowadays. It needs to be remembered that you cannot police effectively without community support and to get and maintain that support, siege mentality needs to thrown out the window. Good luck Shane.
Hullo Ivan.
I’d give you the highest marks so far for this article but, being an old bloke, I question whether it went quite far enough…..
I wonder if the idea of an “unduly benevolent” police force has struck home, or become entrenched, in the public’s mind?
I was at the Academy when the person you’ve nominated really began to make the earliest of the gross changes she made. At the time many of us older members were very concerned about the potential results of her official decisions, but due to the loudly-emerging LGBTQI fervor then being implemented, our opinions were discarded or ignored and reverse discrimination was employed – [this is all verifiable fact].
I also attribute her very unfortunate and aberrant tenure to starting the rot, and those of many but not all following ineffective CCPs continuing it, to the central problems challenging VicPol today. Political pressure was exerted in some cases to obtain specified results and behaviours, leading towards today’s current situation.
The changes that were personally forced onto a somewhat resistant organisation are now clearly proven to have been grossly deleterious. Witness problems facing VicPol today – organisational, managerial, promotional, uniform standard, and societal.
I clearly recall the day it was decided by her alone to remove the traditional, military-style Pass-Out Parade and replace it with some form of Graduation Ceremony similar to the Academic Uni-style event, in the Chapel, and at that point I realised VicPol was beginning its downward slide. Tradition and police-culture was being thrown away at a mere personal whim, and whilst it did take some months and attempts to occur, this Uni-style graduation did eventually transfer to the Academy Chapel.
The then-S/Sgt Drill resigned shortly after, and I still think that his early death was in part due to stress caused to him by many of the changes being made; he was just one of the many
unhappy members resigning and retiring damaged, around this time, from this unnecessary and biased exercise in warped personal control and preference.
Ivan, you have almost hit the nail on the head, or CCP Patton has, by realising that unless the “bit of wood” you are trying to work is strong, straight and clean, all the effort you put in will be wasted. TV reporting shows some very poor examples of policing by agressive-looking but actually quite ineffective members, of great variations in uniform, size and stature.
Note that the R.C.M.P [Royal Canadian Mounted Police] in the past have been granted some Governmental exemptions for their recruiting, [not that I entirely agree with them all], but this may very well be one of the the necessary steps to regain correct VicPol recruiting. RCMP Entrance conditions are quite strict, without variation, as are their course conditions, and similar could very well be applied here to bring a major improvement to those standards currently being used by VicPol.
It needs to be realised that, given the time passing since that first incorrect step was taken, it will likely take around a similar time period for any really effective changes to filter through the recruiting and promotions systems to become properly effective – but the first step needs to be taken as soon as possible! One of the first steps would be to cease entirely any form of recruiting advertising in any current media, until a far better standard has been determined by those who could be considered as appropriately experienced. By no means should this large panel be limited to ex-Officers; to be properly valid it must include members [or at minimum invite input] from every section of VicPol over the last fifty years.
I would argue quite strongly in favour of the last four paragraphs of the CAA article – if recruits ARE NOT SUITABLE then all the effort of training is wasted. Further, if the Instructors are not suitable, same end result – at present competent police Instructors could be quite hard to find. All the benevolence is great, but the fact is that if that goodness and niceness was removed from the Academy education, and realistic hard work was the replacement, then trainees could come out of the Academy with some form of solid survival instincts, knowledge, skills and abilities. The urge to be kind and good to people is fine, but in truth, in the majority of operational cases it has no real place in an operational Police Force. Niceness will NOT suffice where competence and good policing is necessary.
What matters greatly is that the Trainee/Recruit is given the best possible training and instruction to survive in the REAL world of policing. It may be necessary to bring back the old system of P.C.E.T.S., and that dreaded word, RETENTION, to ensure only properly-qualified and suitable police members can continue their career after passing Retention, regardless of the financial cost involved to VicPol.
This reversion may conceivably cost less than the hidden cost of fixing the current situation.
At the very bottom level, until a Recruit has proven themselves, and has been properly measured for suitability [you cannot manage that which you cannot measure], then the overall direction and ethos of VicPol cannot change.
P.S.:
IVAN –
TODAY I DROVE PAST OUR LOCAL P.S., MILDURA, ABOUT 1130HRS AND GUESS HOW MANY BLUE/WHITE VEHICLES WERE PARKED OUT THE FRONT ON THE KERB? SIX!
AND I DID NOT SEE ANY OF THOSE [12?] TWELVE MEMBERS WALKING THE STREETS ANYWHERE DURING THE NEXT HOUR WE DROVE ABOUT THE PLACE.
AT ANY GIVEN TIME ANY DAY YOU CAN USUALLY SEE THREE OR FOUR, OR MORE, VEHICLES PARKED THE SAME – I’VE SEEN NINE! BUT SOMETIMES THEY DO DRIVE PAST IN THEIR DARK-WINDOWED VEHICLES…
YOU WILL NOT SEE ANY MEMBERS WALKING ABOUT THIS TOWN ON FOOT.
LAST TIME I SAW THAT WAS TWO SKINNY FEMALES, POORLY DRESSED WITH NO HEAD-GEAR, EACH CARRYING A TAKE-AWAY COFFEE, BEFORE COVID MAYBE A YEAR BACK, HEADS DOWN NOT LOOKING AND WALKING SLOWLY BACK THE FEW HUNDRED YARDS TO THE P.S. THAT’S SOME OF WHAT’S WRONG WITH VICPOL!!!!
When I first joined the CAA back in 2018 as a Board Member later to become Honorary Treasurer, I knew it was going to be a long road to achieve universal recognition and success.
I was confident that the people involved led by Retired Chief Commission Kel Glare, Retired Chief Commissioner Noel Newnham and Retired Detective Inspector Ivan Ray were all men of honor and integrity. Their selfless devotion backed by their invaluable experience is the reason that we have achieved so much.
It took a long time and the odds were stacked against us for much of it but we were steadfast in our resolve to return Victoria to a safe place where citizens could go about their business in safety.
Significant progress along these lines have been made since the appointment of Shane Patton APM as Chief Commissioner because at last we have an excellent individual who understands the principles of policing that eluded many of his predecessors for the last 20 odd years.
I look forward to serving the CAA in any capacity that is deemed appropriate into the future.
Hi John,
As Churchill Fellow I spent some time with the RCMP many years ago. Already at that time, in 1986 to be precise, I was dismayed to see political correctness permeating the recruiting process. In their desire to rectify the perceived injustices of the past this otherwise fine police organisation adopted recruitment strategies which in practice meant that there were the following preferred categories for recruitment, namely one had to have a tertiary qualification, be a female, be an Indigenous person, and be bi-lingual. If you happened to be a white male without a degree, speaking only English, you could practically not get in. Unless my memory is failing me, this was all part and parcel of the Affirmative Action program adopted by some American Police Forces too. Foolishly they also had recruitment quotas in place. Needless to say what they did to the morale and professional standards.The words of a black Captain in charge of Affirmative Action of one of the prestigious Police Force in the States still resonate in my mind “I have no idea whether I reached this position and associated rank because of my policing skills or because of the colour of my skin!”
When I was with Victoria Police, despite outside pressures to adopt recruitment quotas for females and applicants from diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds, this was wisely rejected by by police leadership. Instead Victoria Police recruited creatively from the best applicants. The ranks of police during the reign of such outstanding leaders as Mick Miller and Kel Glare reflected this.
It would be interesting to know how many applicants Victoria Police get these days if they need to advertise. Anecdotal evidence suggests that young people do not seem to be interested in this profession. And we know why.
Let us hope the under the leadership of CCP Patton the service in the Victoria Police Force will once again become an occupational choice for many fine men and women in our community. And that they will once again be proud to serve the community and have respect and support from the community.
May the Force be with you!
As a CCA Board member, I was present when the CCP Mr. Patton outlined his vision for the Victoria Police Force during his meeting with CAA on 6 February 2021.
It was very reassuring and indeed exciting to hear Mr. Patton’s plans and I look forward to the future to witness Victoria Police once again be the premier police force in Australia.
Like many other former members I too have views about where Victoria Police has strayed from the policing path over the past years. Like many I attribute the start of the decline to Ms Nixon whose social, rather than policing, views saw the decline of discipline “Call me Christine”, a decline of recruitment standards, “to be more inclusive” and the decline of genuine community involvement “lack of support to pro-active programs such as Police In Schools, Safety House, Protective Behaviours”. The failure to see the long term consequences of such decisions has led to the current situation where morale is arguably at an all time low, confidence in Victoria Police has plummeted and the reputation of what was once the best Force in Australia has likewise diminished. Whilst encouraged by the comments of Chief Commissioner Patton success is measured by results- not intentions. I wish him well.
It is difficult to comment when you have not walked the line of a VicPol member. However, I have served for 30 years in the UK police and 8 in the UK military. I loved every minute of it, the policing that I knew there is alas now referenced in history books. Funding cuts, really poor political interference determined to break the backbone of the police service by involving tighter restrictions, the move towards Police Support officers with limited powers and the use of specials (volunteers), the massive closure of police stations especially rural stations, the removal of training facilities, any reference to discipline, and standards of dress. The removal of all policing perks placed young police families on the breadline, creating the biggest exodus of experience the service has seen.
I retired in 2012 and migrated to Australia, (Victoria), by association I have been very interested in all aspects of Vic Pol and policing in general, I have followed the crime stats, I watch the news and any incidents or inquiries with great interest. I love Victoria, I am now an Australian citizen and feel very happy and blessed to have been able to settle here, and although there are aspects that I see, that does cause concern, in particular, violent crime and youth-related recidivism, which in my research directed me to the CAA. I have been following their articles and found myself seeing a remarkable parallel to the decline I experienced overseas. That is not sour grapes, nothing hurts me more than to see it, the difference here is that at this moment VicPOl is not that far down the track as the disaster overseas. The CAA is throwing up very sensible suggestions and although this at the time was not accepted by VicPol I could see that it was a different way of putting pressure on the establishment and if the right person took charge of VicPol there would always be an opportunity. The news from overseas is the price they will pay for not having credible organisations (not just fed-up members) like the CAA providing strategic and operational suggestions through a channel that can be followed by members and outsiders like me.
I am really pleased to see that Commissioner Patton has taken on the alliance and will work with you, there can only be one winner and that will be the community of Victoria, I remain concerned about the rising violent crime rate but as they say, every journey has to start somewhere. I wish you all well and good luck.
What a novel idea for a CCP to say he’s going to do something and then actually do it. CCP PATTON has already done this in a couple of small instances and past actions are indicators of future actions. Rebuilding VicPol isn’t going to happen quickly. It’s only by hard work, establishing protocols and policies, changing the mindset to respond to those new protocols and policies and consistency overall that’s going to bring VicPol back to its days of being the most respected police force in the country. As so much harm has been done by his predecessors it was never going to be be an easy job but with less than a year in the top job he’s proving that he’s got plans and has set about the monumental task of setting things right.
The initiation of the survey for members of the public to complete in order to get a feeling for what the public wants from their police force is brilliant.