by CAA | Jul 22, 2025 | Illicit Drugs, Library, Victoria Police Issues
We have long advocated for the use of Water Cannons for crowd control, but there continues to be reluctance both within the force and outside; however, most of the criticism from outside seems to come from those in the community who likely promote and drive unlawful behaviour in demonstrations.
We strongly support the notion of people’s right to peacefully demonstrate in public places for whatever legal cause motivates them; however, we are equally opposed to violent or destructive behaviour that disrupts the rest of the community from going about their lives.
What is often not discussed is the large number of police needed to manage violent or disruptive demonstrations. The impacts are not only on the people directly affected in the vicinity of the rally, but also on the broader community, where police are drawn away from the protection services they provide.
Crime and other community disorders do not stop because the local police are drawn away for these other duties
To assist, go to https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-caa-to-restore-safety-justice-accountability
The effectiveness of policing and their ability to maintain law and order are directly proportional to the number of Police deployed as well as their deployment strategies.
The first major step is to convince the Government to introduce a permit system similar to the systems introduced in other States. At least that way, the line can be drawn to minimise the impact on other citizens and remove the grey area of legal or illegal demonstrations. A legal demonstration with parameters of a permit reduces the likelihood of the rally getting out of hand and becoming an unlawful gathering.
With the lack of Police, the provision of an effective alternative that can dramatically reduce the demand on police numbers to deal with these matters is a sensible and, we would have thought, urgent issue.
The use of Water Cannons should not be contentious, as the benefits far outweigh the negatives. The community is sick of non-decisive actions by police, particularly when they engage in running street battles, evident during COVID.
The most significant effect that Water Cannons can have is one of prevention, a key component of effective policing.
The main points are,
Purpose and Tactical Value
- Non-lethal deterrent: Water cannons offer a forceful but non-lethal method of dispersing crowds when unrest escalates beyond verbal negotiation or breach of physical barriers.
- Area-wide impact: Unlike batons, pepper spray or other alleged non-lethal devices, Water Cannons can affect a broad zone, reducing the need for close-quarters confrontation that may provoke further violence.
- Equipment-based control: By utilising mechanised dispersal, law enforcement can minimise direct physical engagement, limiting the potential for personal injury to both Police and protesters.
Safety and Risk Mitigation
- Lower risk than alternatives. When appropriately calibrated, water cannons pose fewer long-term health risks than chemical agents like tear gas, rubber bullets or other alleged non-lethal equipment.
- Controlled escalation: They offer a step between passive observation and full riot gear deployment, aligning with principles of measured response and proportionality.
- Visibility and accountability: The use of water is visible and recorded, which promotes transparency. Water cannons are used openly and can be appropriately managed.
Legal and Ethics
- Compliance with use-of-force guidelines: When deployed with clear protocols and oversight, water cannons can comply with international standards on crowd management.
- Supports lawful assembly while responding to violence:
Their use can be strategically restricted to situations where protest becomes violent or dangerously obstructive, thereby preserving the rights of peaceful demonstrators while curbing escalation.
Other Considerations
- Public safety alignment: In urban settings prone to high-density gatherings, water cannons offer scalable, crowd-reshaping options that uphold infrastructure integrity and prevent stampedes.
- Deterrent psychology: The visual and auditory presence of water cannons alone may dissuade violence without active deployment, serving as a psychological buffer.
The issue, in part, is the overall cost of this equipment. However, the savings on police costs alone would quickly outweigh the purchase cost of a water cannon.
It is time for action, not the inaction we have experienced for years and the hidden costs the community endures from lawless behaviour. It is not only the inconvenience, but also the danger of out-of-control demonstrations, that must be reduced.
The CAA calls upon the Government to provide the Victoria Police with a water cannon immediately. To do so makes operational and economic sense.
by CAA | Jul 17, 2025 | Illicit Drugs, Library, Uncategorized, Victoria Police Issues
Depending on who you’re speaking to, the responsibility for managing drugs and crime in our community varies. While the issue should be clear, we can only assume that politicians, departmental mandarins, and executives in affected authorities are more interested in their own biases and statistics than in addressing the problems the community faces, with the dangers intrinsic in their lives.
Many in authority have a straightforward, divisive mantra: crime is a Law-and-Order issue, illicit drugs are a health issue. While that is true, it is a matter open for interpretation, and it shouldn’t be. At first glance, this seems unambiguous, but it is quite misleading. While the effects of illicit drugs on individuals are indeed a health matter, until the drugs are ingested, it remains a Law-and-Order issue.
Additionally, the act of ingestion is criminal, as are most activities leading up to it. The promotion of the drug issue as a health matter is a manipulation of reality by the pro-drug lobby, who are relentless in their quest to decriminalise the use of illicit drugs. The drug apologists are a clandestine group not easily identified until they start to pursue their agenda. It always concerns us that the enthusiasm and relentless wielding of influence by these people only serve the criminal cartels.
Their main aim is to legalise drugs; they then develop questionable legal activities off the back of decriminalisation.
The most significant concern is that these apologists are promoting the normalisation of the drug scourge, which leaves and multiplies the number, inflicting terrible scars on people in the community from which many will never recover. It is not just the users, but their families and the community at large who are ultimately the victims.
The ignorance of apologists who appear to live in a utopian world where legalising drug use will somehow be beneficial for addicts and users, and will somehow reduce or remove crime, is problematic. Aside from street-level crime, which will persist as addicts and users have built a way of life that legislation won’t change, why work when they can survive stealing from shops? However, the crime cartels will very quickly adjust and compete directly to ensure their river of gold keeps flowing.
What is rarely discussed or acknowledged is that drug users, whether addicted or not, are often hooked on the lifestyle itself, which they find thrilling and a place where they feel they belong. They have no responsibilities other than scoring drugs and, of course, funding these pursuits through crime, supplementing their welfare benefits, a consequence of which is another impact on society that is rarely discussed.
With this situation, the real issue remains unresolved.
We would strongly argue that intervention at an early age is the most effective way to make progress on reducing this problem, as prevention is the only cure, given that all other efforts to date have failed.
And on this issue, the authorities dodge and weave with feeble excuses.
Canada, which is arguably the leader in addressing the combined problem, has now concentrated on four key behavioural issues and has developed programs to teach their children as part of their school curriculum: anxiety sensitivity, sensation seeking, impulsivity, and hopelessness management skills.
These traits go beyond the either-or approach to drugs or crime, focusing on characteristics that a positive identity can help young people develop in their formative years, thereby reducing the likelihood of them seeking to negatively exploit any of these traits. The key point is that the main aim of reducing drug use and crime is never explicitly mentioned. Instead, the focus is on traits that could have an adverse influence on a young person.
The research on the effectiveness of this approach is very encouraging.
This approach, alongside or combined with ‘Resilience Training’, represents the way forward to achieving meaningful and measurable results.
What is unfortunate is the lack of leadership in advancing this approach.
While leaders argue over whose responsibility it is, it echoes the old proverb about Nero fiddling while Rome burns.
A legitimate question is what about those already caught in the cycle of crime and drug use? Our view is that current programs for these individuals should continue only if they reduce further drug use. Shifting the focus to prevention is the only sensible way forward.
Those who argue in favour of excusing existing addicts need to remember that the vast majority are in their predicament by choice, and therefore should accept responsibility for their situation.
We will publish more details of this new Canadian approach in upcoming articles. “Drugs and Crime.”
by CAA | Jul 12, 2025 | Illicit Drugs, Library, Uncategorized, Victoria Police Issues
The Victorian Government’s decision not to test drivers for cocaine or heroin has sparked significant public concern and criticism, as reported in the Herald Sun on July 11, 2025.
The move comes despite rising community awareness and concern about drug-impaired driving, especially involving substances like cocaine.
The government has defended its stance by citing technical limitations in current roadside drug testing technology, whatever that means. These technical problems apparently do not exist or were overcome in other States that undertake the testing, which makes it sound suspiciously like a cop out.
Unlike cannabis, methamphetamine, and MDMA, which are detectable with existing saliva tests, cocaine and heroin require more complex and costly saliva testing. While this testing is commonplace in other States, Victoria remains the outlier.
Officials argue that expanding the testing regime would require substantial investment and legislative changes, which they claim are not currently feasible.
Perhaps the data they are relying on has a glaring anomaly. If they are not testing drivers involved in road crashes or randomly on drivers using our roads, then how do they know the problem doesn’t exist? Have they looked at the experience of other States?
An experienced Police Officer was quoted in the article as saying, “You’ve basically got to crash the car.” That member said the use of the drug was booming, as he was reminded on a recent night out at a licensed venue. “There were people snorting cocaine in a toilet cubicle next to me,” he said.
The lack of willingness to test for cocaine may well be motivated because that drug is the go-to choice for the fashionable elites, and of course, you cannot get busted driving home, as it is common knowledge that police can’t test for it.
Furthermore, the same non-testing regime exists for Heroin, and we have the ludicrous situation where a government-sponsored Heroin injecting facility in Richmond attracts addicts from all over Melbourne, and many of them drive to the facility.
What is alarming is that they return to their vehicle after shooting up in the facility and drive away. Police are ill-equipped to deal with this issue.
Without the ability to test those drivers, the risk to the community is unacceptable.
Critics, including road safety advocates and opposition politicians, assert that this decision weakens efforts to cut drug-related accidents and sends the wrong message about enforcement priorities. They highlight data showing an increase in cocaine use, especially among younger groups, and call for urgent updates to testing protocols to keep up with changing drug trends.
This refusal to facilitate testing of drivers for Cocaine and Heroin is another example of the Government being blind to the unintended consequences.
by CAA | Jul 5, 2025 | Library, Uncategorized, Youth
The recent surge in youth crime—up 18% according to the Crime Statistics Agency (CSA)—has sparked urgent questions about the role of our education system in shaping student behaviour. While many factors contribute to this troubling trend, one that deserves closer scrutiny is the practice of “off-the-books” school suspensions. A Flawed Disciplinary Approach
As reported by The Age in the article “Off-the-books school suspensions fuelling Melbourne’s youth crime crisis”, some schools are informally suspending students, sending them home without officially recording the action. This practice not only lacks transparency but also fails to address the root causes of behavioural issues.
By removing students from the classroom without formal accountability or support, educators may unintentionally reinforce negative behaviour. Rather than engaging with the student to resolve underlying issues, this approach can feel like a reward—extra time off—for misconduct, which spawns more misbehaviour, not less..
Anecdotal Concerns and Broader Implications
There have been reports of students being suspended for controversial or misunderstood behaviour, such as expressing personal beliefs or reacting to peers in unconventional ways. While these anecdotes may not represent the norm, they underscore the importance of having consistent, fair, and well-communicated disciplinary policies.
The broader concern is that informal suspensions can lead to increased disengagement from school, leaving students unsupervised and vulnerable to negative influences, including crime and substance abuse.
The Super School Dilemma
Another structural issue exacerbating the problem is the rise of “Super Schools”—large campuses that house thousands of students. While these institutions may offer economies of scale, they also present significant challenges in maintaining discipline and fostering a sense of a school community. The social impact of these schools must be revisited to measure the impact since their inception as they may be one of the main contributors to juvenile crime.
In such environments, students can feel anonymous and disconnected. Educators, overwhelmed by the sheer volume of students, may resort to quick fixes, such as informal suspensions, rather than investing time in restorative practices.
A Model for Success
Not all schools are struggling. Rosebud High, a relatively small institution, has reportedly tackled these issues head-on with impressive results. Their success suggests that smaller school communities may be better equipped to build strong relationships, enforce consistent discipline, and support student well-being.
A Call for Reform
To address these challenges, several steps should be considered:
- Transparency and Accountability: All disciplinary actions should be formally recorded and reviewed to ensure fairness and effectiveness.
- Professional Development: Educators need ongoing training in behaviour management, conflict resolution, and trauma-informed practices.
- School Size and Structure: Policymakers should reconsider the Super School model and explore the benefits of smaller, community-focused schools.
- 4. Police in Schools Program (PSIP): Reintroducing this initiative would provide valuable support. Police officers working alongside educators can help deliver life skills programs, mediate conflicts, and prevent crime before it starts. This is not the current School Engagement Model, masquerading as a Police In Schools Program, which is missing many of its important elements. and has no record of effectiveness.
Over 6,000 crimes occurred in schools in 2024 alone. This figure does not include incidents involving students outside school grounds. The need for proactive intervention is urgent.
Conclusion
The current disciplinary practices in some schools are not only ineffective but potentially harmful. By prioritising transparency, investing in educator training, rethinking school structures, and reintroducing proven programs like PSIP, we can begin to reverse the trend of youth disengagement and crime.
If the education bureaucracy cannot, or does not lead this change. In that case, it will fall to the Police to step in and exercise leadership to support our schools in creating safer, more supportive learning environments.
Also acting as a Crime Prevention initiative, results will be very impressive in a relatively short period, which was the experience of the Police, who worked on the early version of the Police in School Program.
Today will be no different.
by CAA | Jun 30, 2025 | Current, Drunk, Investigations, Library, Media, Police in Schools, Police Veterans in Schools, Politics, Road Safety, Safe Injecting Rooms, Victoria Police Issues
PLAN 100.4 – 2025 – Summary
The document outlines the Community Advocacy Alliance’s strategic plan for improving service delivery and addressing law enforcement issues within Victoria Police by 2025.
Leadership and Accountability in Victoria Police
The Community Advocacy Alliance (CAA) emphasises the need for improved leadership and accountability within Victoria Police to restore public trust and enhance service delivery. The current structure is criticised for being bloated and ineffective, with senior officers often avoiding accountability for their actions.
- The CAA has submitted multiple plans since 2018 to address law and order issues in Victoria.
- Senior police officers have been allowed to evade accountability despite evidence of misconduct.
- The organisation suffers from poor command decision-making and a culture of disrespect for the law.
- A significant reduction in executive ranks (30-40%) is proposed to streamline operations and improve accountability.
- Decision-making should occur at the lowest possible level to enhance responsiveness and effectiveness.
Service Delivery as a Priority
Service delivery has been identified as the most urgent issue facing Victoria Police, with a significant deficit in understanding and execution over the past decade. The CAA argues that efficiency should not overshadow the importance of effective service delivery.
- Service delivery has deteriorated, with little evidence of improvement in the last ten years.
- Senior officers often confuse service efficiency with service delivery, leading to ineffective strategies.
- Initiatives to improve efficiency have often compromised service delivery, creating a “them and us” mentality.
- The effectiveness of policing is directly related to its relationship with the community it serves.
Measuring and Improving Service Delivery
The CAA proposes several strategies to measure and enhance service delivery, emphasising the need for modern, qualitative measurement techniques. Feedback from the community is crucial for understanding the effectiveness of services.
- Implement modern qualitative measuring techniques for service delivery.
- Establish a feedback line for the public to report their experiences with police services.
- Set benchmarks for response times to ensure accountability in dispatch and arrival.
- Extend the emergency activity map to include police incidents for better community awareness.
- Introduce a protocol for phone contact to ensure professionalism and accountability.
Structural Reforms for Effective Policing
The CAA recommends significant structural reforms within the Victoria Police to address inefficiencies and enhance service delivery. This includes reducing the number of executive positions and reintroducing intermediate ranks.
- The current executive structure is bloated, with a 16% increase in Deputy Commissioners since 2019.
- A reduction of 30-40% in executive ranks is recommended to improve decision-making and accountability.
- Reintroducing ranks like Chief Superintendent and Chief Inspector can enhance local decision-making.
- The promotion process should be competency-based to eliminate nepotism and improve morale.
Cultural Change and Community Engagement
A positive organisational culture is essential for effective policing, and the CAA highlights the need for cultural reforms to rebuild trust and respect within the community. Engaging with retired members and honouring fallen officers can strengthen this culture.
- The culture of Victoria Police has declined, leading to issues like media leaks and mistrust.
- On-the-spot discipline notices can address minor infractions and improve accountability.
- Engaging retired members can provide valuable insights and foster respect within the organisation.
- Building a culture of respect and professionalism starts with the police uniform and leadership example.
Addressing Mental Health and Well-being
The CAA emphasises the importance of addressing mental health issues within the police force, particularly regarding the impact of disciplinary actions and investigations on officers’ well-being.
- Research is needed to explore the correlation between investigation techniques and PTSD among officers.
- Every member subject to disciplinary action should have an independent advocate to ensure fair treatment.
- The culture of respect and support must be reinforced to prevent adverse mental health outcomes for officers.
Recruitment and Selection Process Improvements
The recruitment process for the Victoria Police must prioritise both mental and physical robustness to ensure that candidates can handle the demands of policing. A multi-level probation system and careful assessment of applicants’ suitability are essential to maintain the integrity and effectiveness of the force.
- Recruits should be assessed for mental and physical fitness to perform police duties.
- A multi-level probation period of four years is proposed to ensure ongoing evaluation of recruits.
- Non-performing members should be offered transfers to alternative roles rather than remaining in policing.
- Emphasis on character and resilience in candidates to prevent PTSD and ensure operational readiness.
Enhancing Foot Patrol Effectiveness
Foot patrols are a critical aspect of community policing that requires improved training and situational awareness among officers. The proper execution of foot patrols can enhance public safety and foster better community relations.
- Officers should patrol independently to maintain situational awareness and reduce risks.
- Engaging with the community through eye contact and acknowledgment builds trust and confidence.
- Current foot patrol practices often lack focus, with officers distracted by conversations or mobile devices.
Leveraging Technology for Policing
The integration of advanced technology, such as AI and GPS, can significantly enhance policing efficiency and effectiveness. However, it is crucial to implement these technologies thoughtfully to avoid potential risks.
- AI-driven facial recognition and CCTV can provide real-time information on suspects.
- The G-Tag initiative aims to reduce car theft and enhance community safety by allowing police to disable stolen vehicles.
- GPS technology should be managed to prevent misuse by criminals.
- Mobile technology must be standardised for all officers to improve communication and documentation.
Management and Operational Efficiency
Improving management practices within Victoria Police is essential for enhancing operational efficiency and accountability. A focus on performance metrics and resource allocation can lead to better service delivery.
- Backfill police stations to authorized personnel levels to ensure adequate staffing.
- Downgrade the influence of statistics in decision-making, allowing commanders to focus on operational needs.
- Implement bi-weekly progress reports for commanders to track performance against KPIs.
- Establish a Reserve Unit to manage underperforming members and maintain operational readiness.
Youth Engagement and Community Programs
Strengthening youth engagement initiatives is vital for fostering positive relationships between police and young people. Programs like “Police in Schools” can have a significant impact on youth behaviour and community safety.
- Introduce a dedicated Youth Command to oversee youth-related initiatives and strategies.
- Re-establish the “Police in Schools” program to build trust and educate children about law enforcement.
- Support existing programs, such as Blue Light Victoria, and explore the establishment of Police Citizens Youth Clubs.
- Develop partnerships with community organisations to enhance youth engagement efforts.
Transparency and Media Relations
Improving transparency and media relations is crucial for rebuilding public trust in Victoria Police. A strategic approach to media management can enhance communication and community confidence.
- Appoint a high-ranking officer with operational experience as Media Commander to oversee information dissemination.
- Ensure operational members can speak to the media without fear of criticism.
- Address media leaks by focusing on the underlying issues rather than punishing whistleblowers.
Addressing Drug Issues with a New Approach
A shift from harm minimisation to a four-pillar approach (Health, Law Enforcement, Education, Rehabilitation) is necessary to address drug-related issues in society effectively. This comprehensive strategy aims to reduce drug use and its associated harms.
- Implement health orders allowing police to take individuals affected by drugs into care for treatment.
- Establish secure facilities for drug treatment and triage to address addiction issues.
- Focus on street-level drug dealers and users rather than high-profile offenders to disrupt the drug trade.
Legal System Reforms for Victims
Reforming the legal system to prioritise victims’ rights and streamline processes is crucial for enhancing justice outcomes. Abolishing the committal process and enhancing victim support can lead to a more efficient legal framework.
- Abolish the committal for the trial process to reduce delays and trauma for victims.
- Provide legal representation for victims of major crimes to advocate for their rights and interests.
- Implement enforceable compensation orders for victims to ensure accountability from offenders.
- Construct purpose-built facilities for victims to give evidence remotely, enhancing their safety and comfort.
Community Engagement and Policing Strategies
Effective community engagement is crucial for fostering trust and enhancing perceptions of police effectiveness. Strategies should focus on improving community interaction and local ownership of policing efforts.
- Realign crime trend analysis to measure community attitudes towards police effectiveness.
- Expand the Neighbourhood Watch program to foster community involvement in crime prevention.
- Review patrol systems to allow officers more time for direct community interaction.
- Dispense with the “Super Station” concept to refocus on local community policing.
Mental Health Support for Police Officers
Enhancing mental health support for police officers is crucial for their well-being and operational effectiveness. Continued efforts are needed to address the mental health challenges faced by serving and retired members.
- Maintain and improve programs like The Hub to support the mental health of officers.
- Legislate indemnity for officers acting in good faith to encourage proactive policing.
- Reintroduce the practice of gazetting positions to stabilise the organisation and improve morale.
Retirement and Reservist Programs for Officers
Developing a reservist program for retired officers can provide valuable support to current members while maintaining their sense of identity and purpose. This initiative can enhance community policing efforts and provide mentorship.
- Allow retired officers to retain their police identity and serve in a reserve capacity.
- Implement a system to recognise the service and contributions of retiring officers.
- Utilise retired officers for non-frontline duties to relieve operational pressures on current members.
FOR THE FULL VERSION OF PLAN 100.4, click on the link below:
by CAA | Jun 28, 2025 | Current, Library, Politics, Uncategorized, Victoria Police Issues
This sonnet may have been written towards the end of the medieval period, but it has real relevance today as we herald the arrival of our new Chief Commissioner, Mike Bush.
His challenges can only be described as monumental, and although there is no doubt about his ability, as demonstrated by his role as Chef Commissioner of New Zealand, the problems entrenched in the Victoria Police will present substantial challenges.
From what we can determine, his character is beyond question, but already the naysayers are making comments couched as negative.
The comments relate to the influence that he may or may not have had from Jacinda Ardern, the then Prime Minister of New Zealand. Jacinta was seen as the queen of ‘woke’.
What, however, cannot be challenged is the success that Bush had in dramatically reducing the crime rates of the Shaky Isles, which highlights the irrelevance of being judged as woke.
The only remote relevance would be if valuable police resources were misdirected to social niceties, but that has happened regularly over the last decade as one chief after another seemed to revel in police resources used in this way. They were leaders with a real ‘Tin Ear’ who failed to understand the community angst about the lack of service, the niceties project.
Nobody can forget the huge Police contingent marching at the Gay Pride March in Melbourne, except for last year when they were not welcomed.
It is a poor look when a large contingent of Police, whether on duty or not, can join in civil celebrations when the public can’t get police to deal with their issues. Any wonder the public confidence in Policing is at an all-time low.
We commend the views of Bush on Proactive Policing and the importance of prevention. The latter being totally essential and the key to reducing the out-of-control crime Rate.
We are confident that with good leadership, this ship, VicPol, can be turned around, as we are constantly heartened by the work of competent and dedicated members of the Force.
It is, however, a major task to rid the Force of the lazy malcontents who drag the organisation down, and we are hopeful that the new CCP will beat the bush and see the lazy miscontent birds taken, out of the organisation.
The damage these individuals wreak is substantial, and their usually loud protestations are used to hide their incompetence; the force is best rid of them.
In welcoming the new Chief, the CAA has revisited the Plan 100 series and updated the Plan to 100.4.
The Plan is contemporary, and we hope it will be of use to the new Chief and will be published within a few days.
by CAA | Jun 21, 2025 | Library, Uncategorized
THE G-TAG that CAN SAVE LIVES
The Headline in the Herald Sun, 20th of June 2025
“Crime out of control’,
Six people were killed by stolen cars.”
“Stolen vehicles were involved in 763 collisions in the last 12 months”
… yes, crime is out of control, and charging the highest number of offenders in history is not stemming the tide. A new way is needed.
The G-Tag can,
Save Lives- De-weaponise the motor car, stolen or not.
Rapidly locate victims-
Any criminality involving vehicle use can be tracked in real time, and vehicles can be disabled and recovered.
Reduce crime – By increasing the ability for perpetrators to be caught and the stolen vehicle disabled, they are rendered useless to crooks before they commit the crime.
Cost positive – Recover stolen vehicles before the perpetrators trash them.
Fine recovery – Immobilise fine dodgers’ vehicles until payment or arrangements are made.
World First- There is no evidence of any attempts elsewhere to achieve a similar initiative and the outcomes it offers.
Make Victoria a leader in an innovative State.
Introduction
For many people, their car is their most important and valued asset, and to have it stolen is devastating. Unfortunately, motor cars, whether stolen or not, are also commonly associated with crimes including home invasioan, hit-run, robbery, drugs, rape, murder, domestic violence and now Terrorism.
The relatively new experience of motor vehicles being used as a weapon either against Police or as a weapon of mass destruction, terror-related or not, is a recent phenomenon. However, the introduction of this new level of violence in the West has brought a new urgency to the G-Tag.
When fully implemented, the G-Tag is the only stratagem that will stop vehicles from being used as weapons.
The Bourke Street massacre should be justification alone for introducing the G-Tag. Unless you live under a rock, we know that it will only be a matter of time before we experience the devastation of truck or car bombs, as is all too common elsewhere in the world.
The multiple killings, countless injuries, millions of dollars of theft and massive damage are caused because current legislation is focused exclusively on the driver, not the vehicle. Until that changes, the cars available to drivers will continue to wreak havoc.
With over 5 million vehicles registered in Victoria in 2023, vehicles are a vast and valuable state asset that needs to be protected.
The traditional view is that the risks posed by the motor car should be managed by legislation focusing on the driver. Unfortunately, the success of this approach is problematic at best, with minimal success.
‘The best way to reduce any crime is to increase in the perpetrator’s mind the likelihood that they will get caught – penalties in themselves have limited impact because the perpetrator does not commit the act to get caught and never expects to get caught.
When the probability of being caught fails to dissuade, we need the ability to intervene to minimise the impact of the behaviour.
Authorities (Police) should be able to safely slow down or stop particular vehicles in the interests of public safety and/or law enforcement.
Without diminishing the current Law and Order response, there is a need to think through and discuss alternatives – that alternative is the vehicle.
GPS Tracking
GPS tracking is widely used in the community; the devices record and re-transmit their location to a satellite-based global positioning system. These re-transmitted signals allow the identification of the vehicle, its location, and its route. It also communicates the vehicle’s speed.
That route can be recorded for days or weeks and can identify which vehicle was driven in a particular location at a previous time. This ability will allow the Police to identify the car used in a crime. As important as the current location of the vehicle is, the historical routes the car has taken, perhaps, has more investigative and evidentiary value.
An example, and there are many, would be a drive-by shooting in the early hours. Witnesses can usually supply the time of the shots; with a G-Tag, the Police could identify which vehicles were driven in that location at the time given.
Central to this proposal will be fitting tracking devices (G Tags) to every vehicle in the Victorian fleet.
Although this forms part of the first stage of this proposal, it needs to be seen through the prism of advantages to the community, safety and Crime Prevention/Minimisation strategy, albeit that an economic case may be produced for the system raising alternative revenue streams for the Government, a user pays system for registration. The latter is the most equitable method of raising revenue.
Setting the case for part one of this proposal – the G-Tag
The advantages of developing a GPS locating system, or G-Tag, for the entire Victorian road fleet will be no small feat; however, the return will be enormous.
- Theft of Motor vehicles and machinery –
With a G-Tag, stolen vehicles can be located quickly; the focus is on the property, not the perpetrator, which will serendipitously lead to rapidly detecting perpetrators. This will lead to reduced costs for insurers and reduced user premiums.
A G-Tag will assist,
Community safety –
Reducing the demand for Police time and assist in arresting perpetrators.
G-Tags will influence the perpetrators, knowing the chances of getting caught have escalated and may dissuade many would-be offenders. What the statistics do not show is the hardship caused and the danger posed to the community by vehicle theft..
Victims of Domestic violence. Using postcodes to quarantine victims, the G-Tag will enable Police to intervene when postcode boundaries are crossed by perpetrators breaching a Family Violence Order, alerting Police to reduce the risk to the victim.
Missing Persons-. G-Tags can locate vehicles of missing persons before self-harm. Suicidal victims are generally found after their demise when the family have contacted the Police over concerns. Still, Police driving around searching every nook and cranny has historically been proven ineffective and usually does not end in locating the individual before it is too late.
G-Tags will be able to save lives by providing a chance to get professional help to desperate people.
Rural application- The application in Rural and remote Victoria is very sound; consider being able to locate a tractor on a large remote property or a driver overdue to destinations, particularly in times of natural disaster. This will also reduce the number of unnecessary searches.
The applications of G-Tag technology can be extended to include watercraft, recreational vehicles, and machinery.
Technology instead of human resources. The thousands of hours expended by emergency services, particularly the Police, can be dramatically reduced in multiple circumstances by the G-Tag Policing will become more efficient and effective, reducing pressure on valuable Police resources.
Criminal activity –
Terrorism Investigations would have the advantage of monitoring vehicles using the G-Tags without intrusion to better understand the risks posed by suspects.
The use of vehicles as a weapon in Terrorism is commonplace in the current war zones. It will likely appear in Australia at some stage, and being prepared will save lives.
Criminal Behaviour –There is a current spate of home invasions where perpetrators physically confront victims in their homes by forced entry to gain access to keys to steal high-end motor vehicles. This type of activity (home invasion) is on the rise; there is a substantial risk of serious harm, if not death, to a victim. The ability to track these vehicles by G-Tag and immobilise them is desirable to the victims and the Police.
Illicit Drugs must be transported in vehicles at some stage. Access to G-Tag technology will provide invaluable assistance in managing the importation and trafficking of drugs.
Hoon drivers can be monitored and removed from our roads. Known hoons’ vehicles can be tagged within the G-Tag system, and an alarm indicating when, like tagged, vehicles are identified by the system to be congregating can allow Police to intervene before the dangers escalate.
Police Pursuits – This technology virtually eliminates the need for pursuits, and disabling the car by G-Tag reduces risk to the Community, the Police and even the offender.
Emergency vehicles can easily and reliably be located and managed during civil emergencies. For example, incident managers could recognise the precise locations of fire appliances during bushfire outbreaks to direct them to where they are most needed or away from impending danger.
Arial surveillance – Currently undertaken by the Police Airwing, there are limitations with availability, cost and response times. The G-Tag will not replace the need for aerial surveillance as a Policing tool. Still, the G-Tag will significantly enhance the effectiveness of the Air Wing, reducing operating costs.
Legal implications – The data recorded in the G-Tag system has evidentiary value, as do E-Tags and Security Cameras. The potential for the improved data available from G-Tags will provide data of substantial evidentiary value for Prosecution and Defence in equal benefit, further improving our judicial system.
Revenue streams
The advantage of this system is that it would allow the Government to use this mechanism to charge registrations on a user-pay basis, which is the most equitable mechanism. In addition, implementing part two of this proposal would eliminate the need for enforcement of recalcitrant individuals by placing the vehicle in ‘limp home’ mode until the financial liabilities are met.
Setting the stage for Part 2 of this proposal using G-Tag.
The first part of this proposal, using converted E-Tag, will only reach a percentage of the Victorian fleet unless a case can be presented for voluntary take-up of G-Tags based on the E-Tag system. However, the advantage of converting E-Tags to G-Tags is that it will ensure a rapid introduction to the program.
Part 2 introduces more sophisticated G-Tags (currently available technology) that are hard-wired into the vehicle’s electronics and fitted where they cannot be easily removed or interfered with. This technology adds a new layer where the vehicle’s electronics can be activated remotely to put it into a limp-home mode (reducing its top speed to 80 KPH) before activating the engine immobiliser to halt the vehicle. The only limitations will be that certain vehicles do not have the limp home mode and would be stopped at a safe place or shut down when stationary.
The upgraded G-Tags must be fitted to all new vehicles, pre-delivery (amending Vehicle Standards)and second-hand vehicles, as part of the roadworthy process. In addition, a moratorium would be required to set a reasonable time for all cars to comply, similar to other safety initiatives, including the introduction of seat belts.
Stage 2 will allow the Police to intervene to stop the commission or continuance of a crime, which is the primary role of the Police.
Reestablishing the vehicle’s functionality when recovered or when it is no longer a threat is a technical issue that should not prove insurmountable. If it can be switched off, it can be switched back on; it is just a matter of protocols.
The cost debate
There is a cost, but as this is an innovation, the technology development costs of G-Tag would be well offset by marketing the initiative interstate and overseas. In addition, a fee for service arrangement, assistance with setup, and a fee for intellectual property would generate substantial income.
Part of the development costs could be covered by the insurance industry and TAC, both of which stand to gain considerably. In addition, there would be nominal cost recovery from the users when installing a device into the existing fleet – manufacturers would be required to fit the device pre-delivery on all new vehicles.
An offset to the toll operator’s contribution (modifying E-Tags)will be the income generated when tracking devices are fitted to the Victorian fleet to include the E-Tag function in the G-Tag; effectively, the E-Tag would be redundant.
Car owners will have to bear some costs, which will be subsidised for welfare recipients, but the price should not be prohibitive, below $200.
The proposal to introduce a pay-as-you-use system for registration, third-party and comprehensive insurance, and fuel excise, which are currently avoided by the increased uptake of electric vehicles, will contribute to the setup and recurring costs of the system.
The system could, therefore, potentially protect innocent victims from financial hardship due to vehicle damage.
The initiative could be made cost-positive.
Technology
Anybody who owns a smartphone or has a Satellite navigation device is acutely aware of the power and application of technology.
Currently advertised on the internet for $35, it is a tracking device that can be attached to a vehicle and linked to a smartphone. The technology exists, is small, and relatively cheap.
The technology for a fully operating G-Tag system is currently available.
The Privacy Issue,
In the 1980s, a very vocal minority saw themselves as the keepers of our privacy. They objected to installing the eight CCTV cameras for a Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Melbourne many years ago. They vocalised the prying eyes and the abuse that would occur should the cameras not be removed immediately after the conference was finished- “It’s a Police State” was the group’s mantra.
Their plaintive cries are now somewhat humorous when we look around at the number of cameras that watch us daily. Still, there is no community concern as it has been demonstrated that they serve the greater good, and law-abiding citizens do not care if they are watched. Indeed, governments actively encourage more expansive use of CCTV in public places, and the take-up of private CCTV systems – including those monitoring public spaces – is impressive, but the information they gather is not regulated and open to abuse, yet we still use them widely.
This initiative has a distinct advantage over CCTV cameras. The Cameras have a deterrent effect and assist with identifying perpetrators, but they cannot stop or prevent the continuation of a crime – the G-Tag can.
Anybody worried about the movement of their vehicle being monitored should realise there are over 5 million vehicles in Victoria, so nobody would have the time, the resources or the interest to monitor every car – it will be enough just monitoring vehicles that are of particular interest. Law-abiding citizens just hide in the crowd.
Furthermore, although not common knowledge, most high-end vehicles sold in recent years already have this technology. They are part of the aftermarket service that the manufacturers provide as a mechanism to update electronics and identify the need for roadside assistance.
Effectively, a reasonable percentage of the population drives around oblivious that their movements are being or can be monitored by a third party.
Impact on Judicial processes.
Implementing this system will provide the Judiciary with an alternative to sentencing offenders (by regulating vehicle use), particularly for the less serious traffic infringements and criminal activity in some cases.
Currently, lives are ruined financially and otherwise by fines and driving restrictions that cause offenders to lose employment and the capacity to pay fines.
Unintended double jeopardy can ruin many young people’s lives. Correcting bad behaviour by bad outcomes lessens, and, in certain circumstances, destroys the chance of future compliance. Instead, in desperation, it can lead, particularly young people, towards crime and drugs to escape what they see as a hopeless situation from which they see no escape.
The G-Tag system can be used to manage the use of a vehicle on certain roads and/or times to allow Offenders to continue in employment, enabling them to pay the fines but still having their mobility curtailed to serve as a punishment.
We are not suggesting this facility become run-of-the-mill, but for cases where a driver may exceed .05 after a reading shows residual alcohol or drugs in the low range. Or where breaches of Licence offences and registration matters can be managed without ruining lives.
The increase in penalty recovery would justify offenders retaining employment and avoid forcing people onto welfare and damaging the state’s productivity.
System Security
There will need to be legislation that includes safeguards for privacy and safeguards against tampering with the system, either the physical equipment or any signal emitted.
Conclusion
The G-Tag is a proactive and novel proposal, but many far more radical ideas that once seemed farfetched are now accepted as the mainstream norm, the World Wide Web, television and the telephone!
We now accept security cameras as a way of life and the dreaded speed cameras as an acceptable inconvenience for the greater good.
It will take leadership and innovative thought to implement this proposal; however, the advantages to the community make it a worthwhile project.
This is an innovation that will save lives commensurate with its implementation.
- Minimise Police pursuits by number and duration.
- Enable the arrest of mobile criminals safely.
- Monitor criminal activity.
- Determine the identity of perpetrators when the crime was not witnessed, but a vehicle was involved (historical G-Tag data of the scene)
- Tag domestic violence perpetrators and protect victims with a virtual shield.
- Reducing a criminal’s ability to use a vehicle in committing a crime.
- Reducing criminals’ ability to burn stolen vehicles to hide DNA.
- Locate missing people intent on self-harm.
- Increase revenue through greater enforcement of civil compliance.
- Locate and save people in natural disasters.
- Reduce police resources in trying to locate missing persons.
An additional attraction of this technology is that it will allow a user-pays system to be developed instead of registration and other taxes as a reliable and equitable mechanism to tax road users.
Recommendation
The Victoria Police and the Government must establish a working party to prepare the business case for this proposal, including the fiscal imperatives that will make this proposal practical and cost-positive. Establish a G-Tag Authority to develop the technology and design the model for the ongoing management and operation of the system.
Ivan W. Ray
Chief Executive Officer
Community Advocacy Alliance Inc
by CAA | Jun 12, 2025 | Library, Uncategorized
PETITION: Inquiry into Victorian Fisheries Authority workforce changes
ATTENTION: All law-abiding recreational anglers, sports fishing professionals, everyone connected with the seafood industry and anyone holding either a fisheries licence or permit!
Victoria’s immensely valuable fisheries are in grave danger of being fished out, poached and pillaged to extinction, following a Victorian Government decision to abandon its ecological sustainability regime and retreat from frontline enforcement of basic fisheries rules.
On 20 May 2025 (State Budget Day) the Victorian Fisheries Authority (VFA) announced it would sack 30 (44%) of the state’s 69 frontline Fisheries Officers: leaving just 39 uniformed officers to patrol Victoria’s 2,512-kilometre coastline, 10,000 square-kilometres of marine waters and 170,000 kilometres of inland water frontage along 85,000 kilometres of rivers and creeks.
Under an organisational restructure, the authority has also stopped those remaining officers from doing marine safety inspections despite their previous involvement in this work being linked to a 52% reduction in boat-related drownings over the 10 years to 2023.
The authority remains the lead agency for the prevention of “illegal or antisocial behaviour” on Crown land river frontage camping sites, but inland officers will (at inevitable risk to their personal safety) be expected to undertake lone patrols (no longer working in pairs).
VFA also retains, for now, its designated role under the State Emergency Management Plan, but with an obviously reduced capacity for rescues and other marine or wildlife crises.
Even worse, these decisions were made without any risk assessment and in defiance of a previous petition signed by 21,789 concerned Victorians.
The significance and gravity of these matters, while still at the proposal stage, were explained in the Parliament of Victoria by shadow Scrutiny of Government minister Bev McArthur on 18 March:
https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=3119485041524153
They have since been further explored by veteran Herald Sun crime writer Andrew Rule:
The Community Advocacy Alliance is therefore petitioning the Legislative Council to hold a parliamentary inquiry.
Please support the CAA in this endeavour by adding your name to our online petition and calling upon every other Victorian you know to do so too…
by CAA | Jun 3, 2025 | Library, Uncategorized, Victoria Police Issues, Youth
The latest machinations in the Government’s so-called war on Machete crimes have become a bigger joke than ever, but nobody is laughing at this black comedy..
We haven’t said too much on this subject to date because we figured that there were enough smart people in the Government to work out belatedly that the Government response was ridiculously flawed and they would rectify it —no such luck.
The vast majority of Victorians are well aware of the folly of the current strategies, namely-
- It’s not the machete that is the problem; it is the idiot carrying or waving it around.
- Banning the sale will do nothing to stop the influx of weapons online.
We assume this is one is not covered by the legislation. At $14.37 plus free delivery, an absolute bargain for kids, it is already claimed that 1.5k of these weapons (Sorry, gardening tools) have already been sold.
The plan is that Machetes will no longer be available in retail stores. Still, they will be available online, where there is a high probability that weapons currently on the street were accessed that way anyway, defeating any ban, and retailers only need to change the weapon’s description and sell it as a tool.
The Government must recant their stance on this issue and take direct action against the perpetrators. This approach to law and order is as stupid as the other clanger, where the Police had to advertise in the newspaper before any effort to curb violent crime in public places like railway stations.
The idiocy of a police operation where search and seizure powers operate on one side of the street and not the other and the operation is only to occur at stated times allows perpetrators to cross the street or wait for the time to run out to revert to their criminal ways, is downright stupid and the Police are made to look foolish.
Effective laws are needed to empower the police to do their job.
Legislation to allow a Police member to stop and search anybody they believe, on reasonable grounds, to be carrying an edged implement capable of being used as a weapon without a lawful excuse is essential to avoid the alternative of perpetrators taking up carrying axes, swords and sythes.
The onus of the lawful excuse must rest with the defendant.
The ‘Public Place ‘ provision must not be included as the weapons are popping up too frequently in Domestic Violence incidents, and often that occurs not in a public place.
If the Government thinks the average kid who has a machete is going to surrender their status symbol and prized possession, they are less in touch with reality than we suspect. Moreover, to expect the ones that we would most like to see disarmed to go to a police station to surrender their weapon would be naive in the extreme. We doubt even a buy-back scheme would have more than very limited success.
Further, the judiciary is currently exacerbating the problem by failing to meet community expectations by granting bail to recidivist offenders.
The whole Machete issue needs a rethink urgently.
by CAA | Jun 2, 2025 | Library, Uncategorized
Fishing is a sport that thousands of Victorians of all ages and all walks of life enjoy. Irrespective of the card your life is dealt, there has always been fishing as an escape, giving you solitude or companionship, whatever you want.
Apart from the basic enjoyment, there is always the challenge of catching that elusive fish to put on the dinner plate as a reward for effort.
However, these simple pleasures appear severely challenged if the Government gets its way.
While the social aspects are not directly at risk, the fish stocks are, and without the lure of a fish, the social elements wither.
As a cost-cutting exercise, the government’s decision to proceed severely reduces the enforcement capability of the Fisheries Department.
Many recreational and professional fishers remember how the lack of enforcement devastated fisheries that were stripped bare by unlawful fishing activities, sometimes by gangs, often created along ethnic lines to pillage our coast, Port Phillip Bay and some inland waters.
In times past, we nearly lost our crayfish industry through a lack of enforcement; more recently, the pillage of scallops devastated Port Phillip, which we understand has mainly recovered due to enforcement.
Public oyster rocks at Mallacoota were regularly stripped bare of oysters, although we don’t know if it has recovered. Organised gangs seemed to have been involved.
There are probably many more examples, including Inland fisheries.
Recreational and commercial fishers suffer because of the greed of a few.
If you want to protect your fisheries go to https://www.parliament.vic.gov.au/get-involved/petitions/victorian-fisheries-authority-workforce-changes/
Every signature counts toward pressuring the Government to maintain enforcement and protect our Fishing.
Once our fisheries are lost to greed, they may never recover, and slipping down to the jetty with the kids will be pointless without fish.
by CAA | Jun 1, 2025 | Library, Politics, Uncategorized, Victoria Police Issues
Leading Senior Constable Roland Jones was presented with the Victoria Police Medal for courage last week, the highest medal for police bravery in Victoria. Over the years, it has only rarely been granted for exceptional courage, as with Leading Senior Constable Jones.
This award recognises his courage in arresting James Gargasoulas after he drove his car through the crowded streets of Melbourne, deliberately killing six and injuring twenty-seven people in Bourke Street on the 20th January 2017.
His citation reads in part.. ‘immediate and decisive action’ by Jones. Pity, the police executive didn’t act that way in this incident.
At significant personal risk, Jones effected the arrest of Gargasoulas and wrote himself into the annals of Police history as one of the force’s true heroes.
This is a great story, but there is a cruel twist within it.
You will note that this horrible event occurred in 2017, but he was not awarded his medal until 2025. The Citation accompanying the Medal was signed in 2021.
The Gargasoulas incident was one of the darkest chapters of incompetent leadership in Victoria Police’s history and was severely compounded by the treatment of Jones, post-event.
The whole incident evolved over the two days. Police knew for that period where Gargasoulas was at all times. Still, not only did the police not take any action against the perpetrator, but they monitored his bizarre behaviour, not intervening. This meant that Police communications covered the activity; however, there did not appear to be any intervention of the Police Command in this unfolding tragedy.
It was left to the troops, bereft of leadership and therefore coordination, critical components in responding to this type of incident.
After the mayhem of the incident with dead and dying victims scattered along Bourke Street, it was Leading Senior Constable Jones and his partner who put an end to this mayhem.
Not that they were directed, as there was no command and control, but they were purely exercising their initiative.
Their actions were pure bravery, whereas many other police, including command, dithered and procrastinated and in many ways, through their failures, were responsible for the death of six innocent Victorians and injury, some very severe and life-changing, to twenty-seven others.
Thirty-three victims were caused by police leadership’s incompetence.
The bravery award recently presented to Jones was unquestionably well deserved. However, the award took eight years to be presented, and without a reasonable and plausible explanation from VicPol, the delays can only be interpreted as malicious pettiness at the most senior levels.
That is a disgraceful way to treat Force heroes, and it may go some way to explain why morale in VicPol is so low, as reflected in the decline in community confidence.
Low Police morale correlates directly to the quality of service delivery.
by CAA | May 29, 2025 | Library, Uncategorized
Published in the Herald Sun on the 21st of May 2025, the shocking results of surveys of community confidence in Victoria Police have seen community confidence tank.
The Force target for community confidence is circa 80% but has been on a downward spiral in the last decade or so, with its current trajectory likely to break through the wrong side of 50%.
Unfortunately for Victorians, the community confidence measure directly correlates to the Force’s ineffectiveness.
Spin will not alter that dynamic.
All we have heard from the Force over the last decade is excuses, and blaming the Pandemic is front and center. Next, they will blame the victims.
There is no doubt that the performance of the police during the Pandemic has heightened the fall in community confidence, but that is entirely down to the seemingly lack of competency of the Force command, and this is what you get with arguably incompetent leadership, incapable of doing their job.
Making the Pandemic the whipping boy is disingenuous when the CAA provided VicPol with Plan 100.1 in 2018, two years before the Pandemic, highlighting many failures and weaknesses in force policy. The Pandemic then only exacerbated the issues identified by the CAA; it didn’t create them.
The content of Plan 100.1 was drafted from the combined expertise of former Police officers in the CAA, representing over 400 years of experience, a broad cross-section of the community from a variety of disciplines, including victims, providing a unique alliance for feedback and advice to the Force.
It would have been a substantial benefit to the Force and the State if the police leadership had taken more notice of the Plan, and they may not have ended up where we are today, struggling to achieve the support of half the State.
To understand how the Force could have saved the embarrassment of failure in community support, the 2018 CAA Plan makes for an interesting read. Plan 100.1 is available at:
https://caainc.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Plan-100.1November18.docx
Most disturbing is that the trend has no signs of abating this downward spiral of confidence, or when it will bottom out.
Unfortunately, many Senior Officers have been party to the failures and are still in executive positions, making it harder for the incoming Chief. He will no doubt want to put his stamp on the organisation. Still, he is likely to find resistance from those promoted under the old unaccountable system, where competence and performance were not considered valuable assets, but who your friends were above you was what counted, nepotism.
To achieve a turnaround, the Force must undertake a complete attitude change and approach the issues head-on, adopting a service delivery and victim-centric approach.
The challenge for the new Chief Commissioner is to implement a policy of accountability force-wide with clear Key Performance Indicators (KPI’s), not just indicators based on their popularity, for every member irrespective of rank, accompanied by non-negotiable consequences for performance failures.
If the consequences for poor performance are known and the targets are clear, there will be no room for grievance.
This will root out and expose nepotism and the stifling of competent members at every level.
by CAA | May 20, 2025 | Library, Uncategorized, Victoria Police Issues
Most of the current failures are caused by a lack of understanding of some fundamental principles around service delivery and service efficiency.
An antithesis of sound policing is a current paradigm in vogue, the functional relationship (or lack thereof) the Force has with victims.
A prime example is the case set out below, without the force releasing a statement to justify their anti-victim stance, in this matter that is severely aggravated because the victim also happens to be a retired Police member.
We can only hope for all Victorians, including retired police, that the new Chief Commissioner does not ‘BEAT AROUND THE BUSH!’ on addressing the priority of a victim-centric approach to policing.
On the ‘Current Affair’ program on the 9th of May, an alarming story on the demise of ADAM SOMTAG, a recently retired Policeman who had served this State for over 20 years, was aired.
Adam apparently intervened in an incident when an illegal graffiti artist was defacing a Council sign.
Adams’ instincts kicked in, and he even went to the trouble of filming the incident on his mobile and put the incident on local social media to identify the perpetrator.
His alleged error was not reporting the matter straight away. The delay in reporting was not motivated by any sinister reason but simply to help his former colleagues by handing them the identity of the perpetrator with the report of the damage. A ‘lay down Misere; in police parlance, translates to an open and shut case.
The upshot of this exercising of a civic duty sees Adam now facing a possible criminal charge for grabbing the shirt of the perpetrator as he confronted him.
The camera footage broadcast shows a very minor altercation instigated by the perpetrator. Adams’ actions seemed defensive rather than offensive and were more instinctive self-preservation rather than aggressive.
Victoria Police, for their part, have committed an embarrassing ‘faux pas’.
The Police force has allegedly targeted the former police member instead of the perpetrator.
Disrespecting former police members is far too common. It shows that many serving members within VicPol have no perception of the police conditioning values that retired members retain, the most notable one being their Oath of Office.
The Police Act stipulates that a Police member is bound by their oath of office while a serving member of Victoria Police. Once they retire and are no longer employed by Victoria Police, they are no longer bound by their oath of office.
Well, that is what the legislation says, but most former police officers have not denounced their oath; their part of the bargain. Retired former police officers do not, as a general rule, exercise or attempt to exercise their former authority; however, they report matters, and their previous experience makes them ideal for this task.
It is not only current police who disrespect their former colleagues,
it is rife amongst non-police contractors operating the communication systems, 000. We have had a number of reports of those operators dismissing the fact that a complaint is from a former member when it should add weight to the issue.
After being a police member for many years, an oath is a way of life, imbued in their soul that is reinforced by the community, or at least that part of the community that respect Police, and retired members are continually reminded in all sorts of community interactions that they were a member of the force. It is not uncommon, nor do retired members pursue it, but they are often introduced as former police members in many social and professional situations. Moreover, it is not uncommon for individuals to seek out ex-members for advice on Police related matters.
Retired police are respected more by the community than the Force, which is very sad given that the vast majority of retirees have served the community for long periods and are still and always will be proud of their Police service.
There is a misconception, amongst serving police, that ex-police are generally bitter and twisted, but that is so far from the truth as to be a poor reflection on those who hold that view.
There is no doubt that some former Police officers are bitter and twisted, but they are a high-profile minority creating a false illusion of reality.
The phrase often quoted by former police is, ‘there is nothing more ex than an ex’, indicting the hurt and disrespect usually associated with interactions between former police and the current Force members.
Many of these former police could be a valuable resource to assist the Force in these times of austerity.
A properly constituted Force Reserve could alleviate some pressure on the serving members, reducing work-related stress and improving the Force’s Service Delivery.
It may not be to every former member’s liking or convenience, but there would be substantial numbers who would be, in the right circumstances, interested in taking up part-time positions.
The injection of experience from suitable former police and their experience in living outside the police bubble in the community would be ideal for assisting the new Chief Commissioner to help fix the broken Force.
by CAA | May 9, 2025 | Library, Media, Uncategorized, Victoria Police Issues
The appointment of former New Zealand Police Commissioner Mike Bush as Victoria’s new Chief Commissioner opens the way for a new era of back-to-basics policing.
To be effective, Mr Bush will need to exhibit an unfailing commitment to always acting with integrity.
A reputation for acting with and exhibiting integrity gains the trust of the police workforce and the trust of the public the force serves.
It is imperative that the Victoria Police change.
In June 2022, the Community Advocacy Alliance (CAA) called for a Police leader independent of the Victoria Police to implement change because the workforce and public trust in police leadership had declined dramatically.
Both police and the public have become disenchanted by the way policing has been conducted over the last twenty or more years.
Mr Bush has an impressive record of changing the then totally reactive policing method in New Zealand to a predominantly proactive crime prevention model that reduced the incidence of crime by twenty per cent in four years.
While arresting and charging offenders is a major requirement of an effective police force, preventing crime is an essential top priority.
The best policing produces no measurable result. If there is no disorder, no crime and no traffic offences, policing may be highly effective, but there is nothing to measure or do except to note the reduction in crime and disorder and the increase of faith in police by the community.
The drop in the crime rate in New Zealand under the Bush-style leadership of police is strong evidence that a new policing model can be introduced, led and managed by this appointment.
Basically, we must see a return to the nine Peelian (ethics, trust and engagement) policing principles:
- To prevent crime and disorder, as an alternative to their repression by military force and severity of legal punishment.
- To recognise always that the power of the police to fulfil their functions and duties is dependent on public approval of their existence, actions and behaviour, and on their ability to secure and maintain public respect.
- To recognise always that to secure and maintain the respect and approval of the public means also the securing of the willing co-operation of the public in the task of securing observance of laws.
- To recognise always that the extent to which the co-operation of the public can be secured diminishes proportionately the necessity of the use of physical force and compulsion for achieving police objectives.
- To seek and preserve public favour, not by pandering to public opinion, but by constantly demonstrating absolutely impartial service to law, in complete independence of policy, and without regard to the justice or injustice of the substance of individual laws, by ready offering of individual service and friendship to all members of the public without regard to their wealth or social standing, by ready exercise of courtesy and friendly good humour, and by ready offering of individual sacrifice in protecting and preserving life.
- To use physical force only when the exercise of persuasion, advice and warning is found to be insufficient to obtain public co-operation to an extent necessary to secure observance of law or to restore order, and to use only the minimum degree of physical force which is necessary on any particular occasion for achieving a police objective.
- To maintain at all times a relationship with the public that gives reality to the historic tradition that the police are the public and that the public are the police, the police being only members of the public who are paid to give full-time attention to duties which are incumbent on every citizen in the interests of community welfare and existence.
- To recognise always the need for strict adherence to police-executive functions, and to refrain from even seeming to usurp the powers of the judiciary of avenging individuals or the State, and of authoritatively judging guilt and punishing the guilty.
- To recognise always that the test of police efficiency is the absence of crime and disorder, and not the visible evidence of police action in dealing with them.
These principles define the mission: keeping law and order, reinforcing a sense of safety, and preventing crime.
Today, the principles must still guide police work and form the basis for a relationship of trust between the police and the community.
This is clearly indicative that it is time for Victoria Police to modernise its leadership and management processes and shake of decades of ineptness while retaining what is sound.
We believe that the capacity, under the leadership of Mike Bush will enable Victoria Police to address these issues.
The CAA believes that the reintroduction of programs like Blue Light, the Ropes Program, the Police in Schools program introduced in Victoria in 1989 and which ran very successfully moderating youth crime until abolished in 2006 and other proactive initiatives will receive active support from Mr. Bush as Chief Commissioner and we will see rapid and lasting improvement in combatting crime in Victoria and the restoration of respect for police that has so sadly been lost.
Mr Bush has demonstrated he is the right person to lead Victoria out of the morass into which it has descended.
Along with the CAA, I welcome Mr Bush and wholeheartedly endorse his appointment.
by CAA | Apr 29, 2025 | Illicit Drugs, Library, Uncategorized, Victoria Police Issues
New Canadian research shows a connection between heavy cannabis use and dementia, heart attacks, schizophrenia and even death.
CAA comment.
Harmless, nothing to worry about, non-addictive, just a party thing and a raft of other superlatives that have been relentlessly pushed at us by drug users justifying their use of Cannabis. The pressure on legislators from twisted lawmakers elected on the ‘Weed Ticket’ is arguing that there is no harm in cannabis, but it is, in fact, a wonder drug that can assist humanity. So persistent is this lobby that Governments in Victoria are giving the concept of legalising Cannabis for personal use some consideration.
This article dishes facts that blow the cannabis acolytes’ bubble.
If the Government is persuaded, after reading this, the next question is, how they propose to manage and avoid abuse of personal use laws, or do they not think beyond the basic premise, legalise or not?
This is an issue that once out of the bag will never be put back in, much less managed or controlled; it is sure to be a drug, free-for-all.
The question remains, will our legislators be wise and strong enough to avoid the cannabis pitfall?
“Although marijuana has never been shown to have a gateway effect, three drug initiation facts support the notion that marijuana use raises the risk of hard-drug use:
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- Marijuana users are many times more likely than nonusers to progress to hard-drug use.
- Almost all who have used both marijuana and hard drugs used marijuana first.
- The greater the frequency of marijuana use, the greater the likelihood of using hard drugs later.”
Author: Andrew R. Morral, Daniel F. McCaffrey, Susan M. Paddock
Publish Year: 2002
The risks associated with the legalisation of cannabis far outweigh the arguments for it.
Six months ago, doctors in Boston began noticing a concerning trend: young patients were showing up in emergency rooms with atypical symptoms and being diagnosed with heart attacks.
“The link between them was that they were heavy cannabis users,” Dr. Ahmed Mahmoud, a cardiovascular researcher and physician in Boston, told Canadian Affairs in an interview.
These frontline observations mirror emerging evidence by Canadian researchers showing heavy cannabis use is associated with significant adverse health impacts, including heart attacks, schizophrenia and dementia.
Sources warn public health measures are not keeping pace with rapid changes to cannabis products as the market is commercialised.
“The irony of this moment is that society’s risk perception of cannabis is at an all-time low, at the exact moment that the substance is probably having increasingly negative health impacts,” said Dr. Daniel Myran, a physician and Canada Research Chair at the University of Ottawa. Myran was lead researcher on three new Canadian studies on cannabis’ negative health impacts.
Legalisation
Canada was the first G7 country to create a commercial cannabis market when it legalised the production and sale of cannabis in 2018.
The drug is now widely used in Canada.
In the 2024 Canadian Cannabis Survey, an annual government survey of cannabis trends, 26 per cent of respondents said they used cannabis for non-medical purposes in the past year, up from 22 per cent in 2018. Among youth, that number was 41 per cent.
Health Canada’s website warns that cannabis use can lower blood pressure and raise heart rates, which can increase the risk of a heart attack. But the warnings on cannabis product labels vary. Some mention risks of anxiety or effects on memory and concentration, but make no mention of cardiovascular risks.
The annual cannabis survey also shows a significant percentage of Canadians remain unaware of cannabis’ health risks.
In the survey, only 70 per cent of respondents said they had enough reliable information to make informed decisions about cannabis use. And 50 per cent of respondents said they had not seen any education campaigns or public health messages about cannabis.
At the same time, researchers are finding mounting evidence that cannabis use is associated with health risks.
A 2023 study by researchers at the University of Calgary, the University of Alberta and Alberta Health Services found that adults with cannabis use disorder faced a 60 per cent higher risk of experiencing adverse cardiovascular events, including heart attacks. Cannabis use disorder is marked by the inability to stop using cannabis despite negative consequences, such as work, social, legal or health issues.
Between February and April of this year, three other Canadian studies linked frequent cannabis use to elevated risks of developing schizophrenia, dementia and mortality. These studies were primarily conducted by researchers at the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute and ICES uOttawa (formerly the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences).
“These results suggest that individuals who require hospital-based care for a [cannabis use disorder] may be at increased risk of premature death,” said the study linking cannabis-related hospital visits with increased mortality rates.
The three 2024 studies all examined the impacts of severe cannabis use, suggesting more moderate users may face lower risks. The researchers also cautioned that their research shows a correlation between heavy cannabis use and adverse health effects, but does not establish causality.
Budtenders
Health experts say they are troubled by the widespread perception that cannabis is entirely benign.
“It has some benefits, it has some side effects,” said the Boston cardiovascular researcher, Mahmoud. “We need to raise awareness about the side effects and benefits.”
Some also expressed concern that the commercialisation of cannabis products in Canada has created a race to produce products with elevated levels of THC. This main psychoactive compound produces a “high.”
THC levels have more than doubled since legalisation, yet even products with high THC levels are marketed as harmless.
“The products that are on the market are evolving in ways that are concerning,” Myran said. “Higher THC products are associated with considerably more risk.”
Myran views cannabis decriminalisation as a public health success, because it keeps young people out of the criminal justice system and reduces inequities faced by Indigenous and racialised groups.
“[But] I do not think that you need to create a commercial cannabis market or industry to achieve those public health benefits,” he said.
Since decriminalisation, the provinces have taken different approaches to regulating cannabis. But even in provinces where governments control cannabis distribution, such as New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, products with high THC levels dominate retail shelves and online storefronts.
In Myran’s view, federal and provincial governments should instead be focused on curbing harmful use patterns, rather than promoting cannabis sales.
Ian Culbert, executive director of the Canadian Public Health Association, thinks governments’ financial interest in the cannabis industry creates a conflict of interest.
“[As with] all regulated substances, governments are addicted to the revenue they create,” he said. “But they also have a responsibility to safeguard the well-being of citizens.”
Culbert believes cannabis retailers should be required to educate customers about health risks, just as bartenders are required to undergo Smart Serve training and lottery corporations are needed to mitigate the risks of gambling addiction.
“Give ‘budtenders’ the training around potential health risks,” he said.
“While cannabis may not be the cause of some of these adverse health events … it is the intersection at which an intervention can take place through the transaction of sales.
So, is there something we can do there that can change the trajectory of a person’s life?”
by CAA | Apr 13, 2025 | Illicit Drugs, Library, Uncategorized
Sublocade, a powerful medication to treat opioid addiction, is poised to become more accessible. But rapid access is only part of the
CAA Comment
The Canadians are leading the way in dealing with the illicit drug issue with further information about new drugs that can remove the cravings for opioids. We all recognise that the addiction extends past the cravings for a high and includes behavioural addictions like wanting to meet with like-minded people (friends?), the drug culture.
This part of the drug culture is harder to address in many ways than the addiction to the drug of choice. This is where the Police come to the fore. Police who focus on street-level interactions between addicts must be the priority and, in many ways, is more important than targeting the Mr Bigs in the industry. Targeting street-level addicts will firstly disperse them and then make it harder for them to access the drugs they crave, leading to more addicts seeking a medical escape from their addiction and putting muffled pressure on the dealers, making their trade more difficult to function.
The added bonus of reduced public exposure of addicts will reduce the likelihood of others, not addicted, particularly children, being exposed and therefore attracted to the drug scene.
This will also impact the crime related to servicing addictions, an aspect of the drug culture conveniently overlooked by the pro-drug lobby.
We are, however, very slowly, on an international scale, moving towards effective management of this hideous affliction that ruins otherwise good lives and impacts dramatically and adversely on national economies.
It may well be the financial impact that hastens this.
We will see in time the concept of direct and involuntary intervention in drug management become an accepted norm with the advances in medication, that time is fast approaching.
A powerful medication to treat fentanyl addiction is poised to become more accessible in Canada.
Sublocade is a long-acting medication that prevents fentanyl users from experiencing a high from fentanyl, thereby reducing cravings for the drug. It also offers robust protection from an opioid overdose.
On Feb. 24, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved new guidelines for how the medication can be administered, enabling U.S. health-care providers to prescribe Sublocade to patients with opioid use disorder after just one hour of observing them. Previously, patients needed to participate in a week-long observation period.
Experts say they expect Canada to follow suit, as Sublocade is already being used off-label in Canada to treat fentanyl addiction.
“To get [patients] started on Sublocade, all in one day, right now that’s all off-label,” said Dr. Janel Gracey, an addictions medicine doctor in London, Ont.
The new guidelines from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration will enable U.S. health-care providers to prescribe Sublocade to patients with opioid use disorder after just one hour of observing them. Previously, patients needed to participate in a week-long observation period.
Gracey says this shift could save lives.
“You have to get them on the medication right away, because it’s going to save their life and they probably won’t come back tomorrow,” she said.
‘Rock bottom’
Health-care professionals administer Sublocade to patients by injection, once every four weeks. It costs about $600 a month, but is generally covered by employer or public drug plans.
A similar drug, Suboxone, is available as an oral medication. Suboxone reduces cravings for fentanyl and mitigates withdrawal symptoms. But unlike Sublocade, it does not fully block the high from using fentanyl and offers less robust protection against an overdose.
A 2023 study found patients who received long-acting buprenorphine — the key ingredient in Sublocade — experienced significantly fewer nonfatal overdoses than those on daily treatments such as Suboxone. The study focused on nonfatal overdoses, as buprenorphine largely eliminates the risk of fatal overdoses.
Sublocade patients usually start on Suboxone pills and then switch to monthly injections after seven days. The U.S.’s new guidelines permit patients to start directly on Sublocade.
Currently, most patients switch to using Sublocade in hospitals, when they reach a crisis point from long-term opioid use. Their sustained fentanyl use may lead to serious health complications, such as heart infections, skin abscesses or spinal infections that leave them hunched over at a 90-degree angle.
“That is a pretty big rock bottom,” said Dr. Ken Lee, a doctor at an addiction medicine clinic in London, Ont.. “People go home [from the hospital and realize] this is really doing me damage. I have to stop doing this.”
In 2021, two doctors in the northeastern Ontario city of Timmins launched a hospital program that offers patients access to Sublocade within 24 to 48 hours of being admitted for an overdose.
Since being introduced, the city’s overdose death rate has fallen by nearly 30 per cent. And more than 70 per cent of the patients who switch to Sublocade in the hospital continue receiving it after being discharged.
Lee says the switch to Sublocade in a hospital offers patients something like a “trial month” to reflect on their life choices.
Gracey, the London-based doctor, says fentanyl cravings can diminish naturally as patients receive Sublocade. “Over time, your brain just won’t want it, because it will say, ‘Well, this is stupid, I’m wasting my money and my time,’” she said.
“[But] some of them aren’t ready for that. So in those cases, we just put them on Suboxone, and then eventually, hopefully convince them to come over to doing the shot.”
Slow uptake
Doctors generally encourage patients to stay on Sublocade long term, to prevent relapse.
Gracey believes one reason for the slow uptake of Sublocade is the lack of financial incentives for health-care professionals to provide monthly injections rather than daily dose drugs, which require more frequent visits to a pharmacy or addiction clinic.
“When Sublocade first came out, a lot of methadone doctors didn’t want to even go there,” she said. “Instead of the patient coming every week … they’re coming monthly, or even less than that, so your income just dropped down by three quarters.”
She hopes the government will change how physicians and pharmacists are compensated for addiction treatment.
“It should be a monthly amount regardless of what medication the patient is on,” said Gracey.
“Income is totally what’s gearing what you choose to put a patient on and that shouldn’t be the way.”
The full treatment
While Sublocade is effective, medication is “just a small piece of the pie,” says Gracey. Patients need to receive mental health support as well.
Gracey’s two addiction treatment clinics offer in-house counselors, mental health support and social workers. The demand for these services has grown, she says, with waitlists for counseling extending to about two months.
Lee, by contrast, says only 20 per cent of his patients take advantage of the free counselling available through his clinic. He attributes the low uptake to the difficulty of confronting trauma.
The medication’s long-acting nature also means drug users do not need to regularly visit clinics, safe injection sites or safer supply programs.
For some patients, it can be difficult to lose the social support that comes from regularly visiting clinics or safer supply programs.
“I’ve had one or two patients that actually destabilized once I put them on Sublocade because they needed that weekly visit,” Gracey said. “They kind of went off the rails with their other addictions.”
Lee says the sense of community found at safe injection sites can be significant, because “you want to go where your friends are.”
But he is not convinced that this peer community is beneficial. “It’s like hanging out with the wrong gang at school,” he said.
by CAA | Apr 11, 2025 | Library, Uncategorized, Victoria Police Issues, Youth
6000 school-based crimes and 439 carjackings, and that is just for 2024. There is no way that arrests alone will solve this problem.
The near-blind obsession with a Reactive Policing model with the Restorative Justice philosophy infecting the legal system, they have combined, and both spectacularly failed, and the figures prove it.
What a mess and the most startling thing to be presented by VicPol was reported as,
“…police are determined to quickly arrest those responsible and seek their remand, a Victoria Police statement said.”
That response from VicPol does not instil confidence that they are on top of this issue, but you can be sure that there will be many more Task Forces or Special duty teams targeting criminals as part of their solution.
Next, they will blame their ineffectiveness in preventing this crime on the community for not supplying CCTV; they already blame the community for failing to maintain security and the Courts for not locking up perpetrators.
Disturbingly, remanding perpetrators in custody, although a step in the right direction, is nothing more than a ‘band-aid’ solution as the perpetrators have not been convicted.
Taking the Task Force approach has also proved inefficient and has had minimal impact.
Each of these teams must be staffed, and those staff are drawn from the local frontline police. Reducing the frontline, so named for obvious reasons, adversely impacts prevention and strategies to maintain a highly visible Police presence to dissuade criminal activity.
No criminal ever intends to get caught; the risk of being caught is the most potent deterrent, and the lack of that deterrent is mainly due to Police strategies.
The current state of play with policing is the remaining frontline police struggle to keep up with calls for assistance. As for any patrols that will reduce crime, they are minimal at best.
Inevitably, the judiciary, thwarted from their preferred position of non-custodial sentences for juveniles by new Bail laws, will simply ratchet up the non-custodial approach when the perpetrator is presented after remand for their hearing.
So, the reprieve from crime by ‘no bail’ Remand, will be short-lived and be merely, in the eye of the perpetrator, a minor inconvenience. Remand will only provide a hiatus unless, upon conviction, the juvenile does some time, be it shorter periods than adults.
Penalties must align with “kid time”.
What is damming is that in the media reports on school crime and carjackings, there is not one mention of how VicPol proposes to stop or even dramatically reduce this blight on our community.
These two aspects of school crime and carjackings are intrinsically linked as the vast majority, if not all, of the offenders involved in carjackings went to school, so the logic would be to tackle the issue through the school system and, in that effort, mitigate the school crime at the same time giving our kids a chance to be educated without fear and distraction.
“An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.”
Whether this concept will become a reality in Victoria again hinges on who is appointed the next Chief Commissioner because of the community policing philosophy. Crime prevention has all but disappeared from the force’s operational practises.
For the benefit of Victoria, the selection panel needs to ask the following questions of each applicant,
‘What will you do to reduce the crime in schools and the carjackings?’
An answer of increased patrols and the usual talking points would immediately disqualify the applicant. The only way to reduce crime is by innovative, proactive measures; any applicant worth their salt will have thought-through strategies.
‘How will you measure Commanders’ performances’?
Failure to set enforceable Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) based on performance for all managers throughout the force would be a failure.
‘How will you manage Commander’s accountability?’
Anything short of an applicant being prepared to exit their Chief’s contract voluntarily if found to be failing to perform would be unacceptable. That would be the accountability standard required of all Police leaders.
We do not want a Chief focused on or bragging about crime-solving. We want a Chief Commissioner with a vision not influenced and bound by traditional speaking points but one who can see through the fog and have a crystal-clear appreciation of the importance of reorganising the Force to positively influence the prevention model.
Preventing crime gazumps solving a crime in the first place.
Just ask crime victims which strategy they would prefer.
by CAA | Apr 5, 2025 | Library, Media, Politics, Uncategorized, Victoria Police Issues
In a hugely embarrassing turn of events, Acting Chief Commissioner Rick Nugent has announced he will not be applying for the top job after being hand-picked and parachuted into the acting role.
As disappointed as many of us are in his decision, he may well have done Victoria Police and Victoria a considerable service, highlighting and shining a light on the role and failures of Victoria Police Command, forcing the State to take a new approach to selecting its senior executives because by any measure the current process is an abject failure as history shows.
Without major surgery on this selection process, it will be like the adage of ‘doing the same thing tomorrow and expecting a different result’: the definition of insanity.
To fully understand the failure of Police Command, we need to look no further than the Police Oath of Office that all Serving Police, irrespective of rank, must take and abide by, but as history has now shown us, this oath only applies to some within the organisation when it suits them and is breached with regular monotony when it doesn’t.
The VICTORIA POLICE ACT 2013 – Schedule 2— sets out the Police Oaths and affirmations and has four key points within that oath.
The Oath commits Police to perform their duties in a particular manner,
- …without favour or affection, malice or ill-will,
- …will see and cause the peace to be kept and preserved,
- …will prevent to the best of my power all offences,
- …will, to the best of my skill and knowledge, discharge all the duties legally imposed on me faithfully and according to law.
When applying these key points to the performance of Police Command over several years, the score is abysmal and indicates many examples of wanton disregard for this Oath.
We are not suggesting that all Police commanders have been tainted over the last two decades, but the buck stops with the Chief Commissioner and the Command team. They bear ultimate responsibility for the performance and activities of the organisation, but the litany of breaches from which there have been no repercussions against those responsible is staggering. Adding to the dearth of leadership, unbelievably, many police directly involved in these issues have since been promoted.
How can we have a Police Force where poor performance is rewarded?
The following list is accompanied by the number allocated to each part of the Oath above.
- A Chief Commissioner, as the then State Disaster Coordinator, having dinner with friends while Victoria burnt and Victorians were dying. A State disaster with the coordinator missing. Deserting her post in a crisis.(4),
- A Chief Commissioner accepting free flights from an airline. (4)
- The Gobbo affair. Multiple Chief Commissioners and others created, facilitated or turned a blind eye to this issue. No police were disciplined for their roles or failures, but some were promoted to high ranks.
The severity of the poor behaviour by Police, particularly senior members, was set out by the High Court.
[Ms Gobbo’s] actions in purporting to act as counsel for the Convicted Persons while covertly informing against them were fundamental and appalling breaches of [her] obligations as counsel to her clients and of [her] duties to the court. Likewise, Victoria Police were guilty of reprehensible conduct in knowingly encouraging [Ms Gobbo] to do as she did. They were involved in sanctioning atrocious breaches of the sworn duty of every police officer to discharge all duties imposed on them faithfully and according to law without favour or affection, malice or ill-will. As a result, the prosecution of each Convicted Person was corrupted in a manner that debased fundamental premises of the criminal justice system.
That nobody was held accountable for this debacle is part of the leadership problems in the force. How can subordinate members act professionally and ethically when they see their superiors not subject to the same rules usually applied? (1), (3), (4).
- Stealing from the State. Two Politicians committed fraud on the state by falsely and unlawfully claiming accommodation travel expenses but were not prosecuted for the theft. (1), (3), (4).
- The ubiquitous Red Shirts saga in 2019 failed to see any prosecutions after blatant interference in the electoral process. It should be noted that the Office of Police Integrity (OPI) decided not to prosecute, but the head of the OPI was later appointed as Chief Commissioner. (1),(2),(3),(4).
- COVID-19 saw the worst performance of Police senior management in the force’s history, only challenged by the Gobbo Affair.
Whether it was the refusal of the Police to provide supervision of the quarantine facilities, which claimed over 800 Victorian lives, or how the community was controlled, from handcuffing a Mum in front of her children for relatively innocuous online comments, accosting old ladies sitting on a park bench, using live ammunition on people demonstrating against harsh and unrealistic restrictions, and activating ‘tea bagging’ control strategies forcing demonstrators to crowd together was the opposite of the essential medical advice for the disease. The over-the-top responses did nothing to achieve objectives other than a perverted sense of authority as displayed by the Government. The argument that the Police only applied the government health order is ridiculous. A Government cannot force a member of the Police Force to breach their Oath of Office; however, throughout the pandemic, it regularly did, and the Force Senior management chose to play along with the Government and defy and ignore their Oath of Office. No disciplinary or criminal charge was laid against breaches by the Police. Albeit that senior command neglected to follow their Oath, all police involved each had a sworn duty and should have been able to exercise their right not to breach their Oath.(1),(2),(3),(4).
- A very Senior Officer accepting a free first-class trip to America from another Government Agency aggravated by yet another Senior Executive permitting the girlfriend of the Officer, employed by VicPol in a different department, to accompany him. The conference they were slated to attend had no relevance to their roles in VicPol. An all-expenses-paid junket. (4).
- A social media troll outed as a senior officer using a non-de-plume to distribute foul material on social media aimed at colleagues. (4).
- A Senior Officer castigating a junior member on social media. (4) also berating health volunteers in public (4) and instigating a Road Rage altercation in a school car park (4). It took so long and so many indiscretions before he was advised his contract would not be renewed. That no action was taken against this senior office was a disgrace and a poor reflection on the relevant Chief Commissioners (4).
- Slug-gate was another disgraceful episode in Victoria’s policing of this state. The ongoing issue started with an alleged slug being placed in a food factory by a municipal health inspector, which closed the facility and caused 44 employees to lose their jobs. This was significant because it came to light that the alleged relationship between the CEO of the local council and the local Area Commander was very close, breaching professional norms. Still, no investigation was ever carried out to determine if that relationship had conspired to damage the food factory, a competitor of a new factory set up by the Government, of which the local Council CEO was a director. The principal Police officer was promoted, a common thread of miscreants in the Force.(1), (3), (4).
- The mishandling of the ‘Bike Boy’ incident involving the wife of the former Premier showed again how the influence over the police operations was directed not by the sworn duty of Police but by some other imperative. Senior Police should have immediately become involved to ensure proper processes were followed. We are still waiting to see who will be promoted by this Police inaction.(1), (3), (4).
What does stand out in this list is the number of Police who were involved who were promoted in what has the look of quid pro quo? Protect the guilty, and you will be rewarded; by any measure, this is corruption. This seems to be part of the reason so many incompetent Police achieve exalted ranks. It’s not how good you are at your job but how good you are at protecting individuals in high Office.
There are other incidents, but what is common is that when browsing the list, the offences of Conspiracy to Pervert the Course of Justice can be applied in nearly every case, as can Malfeasance or Misconduct in Public Office in every example, not to mention numerous disciplinary offences.
The picture painted shows the depth of criminality by senior police or, at best, the sheer incompetence of senior management in running the force. Inevitably, the applicants from VicPol will include some who have been tainted by the issue listed herein. Avoid, at all costs, ‘putting a fox in charge of the hen house’.
Poor selection processes and partisan political interference in the appointment processes have driven this.
To appoint somebody who has no direct knowledge of this particular Force and the players (knowing where the skeletons are hidden) will flounder and fail no matter how well they’re credentialed. We can only hope that the previous poor performance of former Federal officers in executive roles in VicPol will not be repeated. Federal Police leadership has very limited, if any, experience in running a community-based force. Crime prevention, central to community-based Policing, is an anathema in Federal policing. No matter how good they are in the Federal sphere, to appoint one as Chief in Victoria will be another retrograde step.
Avoiding this advice will inevitably cause political pain no matter who is in power.
The options available to the Government in the short term are that the appointment is made via a partisan arrangement, and that should be very attractive as any failures in policing can’t be sheeted back to the government; they can still revel in Police successes.
The other option is a Police Board to oversee Police operations; it must be by partisan appointments to be effective.
The current government has some electoral difficulties and can ill afford another failure at the top of VicPol.
Repairing the Force is a massive undertaking, and the successful applicant will have their work cut out and need all the support that can be mustered. Hence, the attraction to a Board comprised of former police and civilians from a broad cross-section of the community is not dissimilar to the success of the Community Advocacy Alliance (CAA), which adopted this approach and has become a powerful voice of reason.
Many Former police are attracted to these roles as they are no longer impacted by the pressure of working politics in the police environment and all the pressure for promotion. They are still morally bound by the good ethics of Policing.
by CAA | Apr 3, 2025 | Library, Police in Schools, Police Veterans in Schools, Victoria Police Issues
An insightful article in the Australian 1st of April 2025 by Natasha Bita, ‘bells the cat’ on the reality of the environment in our schools and why the academic levels are declining, and crime committed by young people continues to escalate both in frequency and severity.
https://www.theaustralian.com.au/education/police-and-psychologists-needed-in-schools-to-deal-with-rising-violence-principals-warn/news-story/23eddf73d36353595de2c6dc73acb9dc
It is clear that we will never make inroads into these critical issues plaguing our society without the intervention the author lays out.
It is evident that poor government management is responsible; however, not all the blame can be levelled at the politicians, as the two major agencies that can make a difference are Education and the Police.
The non-action in this space by both agencies suggests that a major problem of demarcation is clouding the judgement of both.
The Police clearly think these problems in the school are the responsibility of the Schools. While that is correct, but only to a degree; the overall responsibility for Law and Order remains unequivocally with the Police, and they have failed to give this aspect of crime prevention the attention it needs, leading to the lawlessness we now endure.
Consecutive Police administrations have deliberately stood in the way of developing effective Police-in-Schools Programs, even going as far as to develop a shadow of the program to divert criticism.
From the Educator’s perspective, they have failed to establish behavioural boundaries and enforce them, coupled with maintaining basic discipline with students and parents, which has led to that profession becoming a high risk for staff and students alike. This has led to a marked decrease in academic performance in the education system.
In many ways, we are sympathetic towards the educators. School Principals’ have no access to police data that accumulates around a child who has committed crimes and attends a school.
For a child to receive a caution from the Police, it must be an offence for which the child accepts guilt, but they can front up to school the next day mixing with peers, and the educators are blissfully unaware of the criminality of the student who may well pose an unacceptable risk.
Moreover, the educators have no opportunity to work towards helping the child because they just don’t know.
Further to the issue of an Official Police Caution, a myth is promoted that children who are caught by Police committing a crime go to jail.
The vast majority of young children detected by Police committing a crime receive an Official Police Caution and, on many occasions, receive multiple cautions if they continue to offend. They are only then charged and brought before the Children’s Court, which is the only one that can jail a child.
There is some community concern about placing children in custody or remand, but by the time they are at risk of remand by a Court, the overwhelming majority of young people have already been cautioned on multiple occasions but chose to ignore warnings.
The warnings now from School Principals must be heeded.
The CAA is promoting the establishment a Youth Justice Panel to explore the issue and make recommendations on how the issue of Juvenile behaviour can be modified.
The need for Police in schools has never been more important than now.
by CAA | Mar 29, 2025 | Illicit Drugs, Library, Uncategorized, Victoria Police Issues
Sweden, the U.K., and Canada all experimented with providing opioids to addicts. The results were disastrous.
By Adam ZIVO
[This article was originally published in City Journal, a public policy magazine and website published by the Manhattan Institute for Policy Research. We encourage our readers to subscribe to them for high-quality analysis on urban issues]
CAA Comment
Although we cannot locate a source, the saying, ‘A Drug addict is made by the age of six’ has resonance.
It does not suggest children are addicted at that age, although sadly, some are. It points to the environment and upbringing that will influence later behavioural traits. These factors are neither social class nor ethnic based; every child is vulnerable.
It is this vulnerability that must drive us to a solution that at least minimises the adverse addictive behaviour. Drug addiction and even experimentation are learnt traits, so the vulnerability can be unlearned or at least mitigated.
Providing drugs under the ‘Harm Minimisation’ or ‘Safer Supply’ is not the answer as it perpetuates the drug problem, as overseas experiences have shown.
The difficulty in controlling the Drug plague by the time a person is addicted is too late and generally ineffective, so to invoke policies of ‘Harm Minimisation’ and or ‘Safer Supply’ is a recipe for disaster.
Encouraging those who are addicts to become clean has all sorts of barriers apart from the drug addiction itself; most are addicted to the drug lifestyle without responsibility or accountability, so even if they are supplied with safer drugs, their behaviour will be unlikely to change.
We need to focus on the young and provide coping strategies and resilience, the ability to say ‘no’ would be a good starting point.
In these difficult fiscal times governments face, they will have to be pragmatic and withdraw funding from ‘Harm Minimisation projects’ and ‘Safer supply approaches and instead develop a uniform strategy across the entire education system and support parents in their efforts to develop coping skills for their children as they grow physically and mentally.
This effort will take time to have an impact, but it will not only help prevent children from experimenting with drugs but also create a better learning environment, improving the academic standards of all children and leading to more constructive lives.
***************************
Last August, Denver’s city council passed a proclamation endorsing radical “harm reduction” strategies to address the drug crisis. Among these was “safer supply,” the idea that the government should give drug users their drug of choice, for free. Safer supply is a popular idea among drug-reform activists. But other countries have already tested this experiment and seen disastrous results, including more addiction, crime, and overdose deaths. It would be foolish to follow their example.
The safer-supply movement maintains that drug-related overdoses, infections, and deaths are driven by the unpredictability of the black market, where drugs are inconsistently dosed and often adulterated with other toxic substances. With ultra-potent opioids like fentanyl, even minor dosing errors can prove fatal. Drug contaminants, which dealers use to provide a stronger high at a lower cost, can be just as deadly and potentially disfiguring.
Because of this, harm-reduction activists sometimes argue that governments should provide a free supply of unadulterated, “safe” drugs to get users to abandon the dangerous street supply. Or they say that such drugs should be sold in a controlled manner, like alcohol or cannabis—an endorsement of partial or total drug legalization.
But “safe” is a relative term: the drugs championed by these activists include pharmaceutical-grade fentanyl, hydromorphone (an opioid as potent as heroin), and prescription meth. Though less risky than their illicit alternatives, these drugs are still profoundly dangerous.
The theory behind safer supply is not entirely unreasonable, but in every country that has tried it, implementation has led to increased suffering and addiction. In Europe, only Sweden and the U.K. have tested safer supply, both in the 1960s. The Swedish model gave more than 100 addicts nearly unlimited access through their doctors to prescriptions for morphine and amphetamines, with no expectations of supervised consumption. Recipients mostly sold their free drugs on the black market, often through a network of “satellite patients” (addicts who purchased prescribed drugs). This led to an explosion of addiction and public disorder.
Most doctors quickly abandoned the experiment, and it was shut down after just two years and several high-profile overdose deaths, including that of a 17-year-old girl. Media coverage portrayed safer supply as a generational medical scandal and noted that the British, after experiencing similar problems, also abandoned their experiment.
While the U.S. has never formally adopted a safer-supply policy, it experienced something functionally similar during the OxyContin crisis of the 2000s. At the time, access to the powerful opioid was virtually unrestricted in many parts of North America. Addicts turned to pharmacies for an easy fix and often sold or traded their extra pills for a quick buck. Unscrupulous “pill mills” handed out prescriptions like candy, flooding communities with OxyContin and similar narcotics. The result was a devastating opioid epidemic—one that rages to this day, at a cumulative cost of hundreds of thousands of American lives. Canada was similarly affected.
The OxyContin crisis explains why many experienced addiction experts were aghast when Canada greatly expanded access to safer supply in 2020, following a four-year pilot project. They worried that the mistakes of the recent past were being made all over again, and that the recently vanquished pill mills had returned under the cloak of “harm reduction.”
Most Canadian safer-supply prescribers dispense large quantities of hydromorphone with little to no supervised consumption. Patients can receive up to 40 eight-milligram pills per day—despite the fact that just two or three are enough to cause an overdose in someone without opioid tolerance. Some prescribers also provide supplementary fentanyl, oxycodone, or stimulants.
Unfortunately, many safer-supply patients sell or trade a significant portion of these drugs—primarily hydromorphone—in order to purchase more potent illicit substances, such as street fentanyl.
The problems with safer supply entered Canada’s consciousness in mid-2023, through an investigative report I wrote for the National Post. I interviewed 14 addiction physicians from across the country, who testified that safer-supply diversion is ubiquitous; that the street price of hydromorphone collapsed by up to 95 percent in communities where safer supply is available; that youth are consuming and becoming addicted to diverted safer-supply drugs; and that organized crime traffics these drugs.
Facing pushback, I interviewed former drug users, who estimated that roughly 80 percent of the safer-supply drugs flowing through their social circles was getting diverted. I documented dozens of examples of safer-supply trafficking online, representing tens of thousands of pills. I spoke with youth who had developed addictions from diverted safer supply and adults who had purchased thousands of such pills.
After months of public queries, the police department of London, Ontario—where safer supply was first piloted—revealed last summer that annual hydromorphone seizures rose over 3,000 percent between 2019 and 2023. The department later held a press conference warning that gangs clearly traffic safer supply. The police departments of two nearby midsize cities also saw their post-2019 hydromorphone seizures increase more than 1,000 percent.
The Canadian government quietly dropped its support for safer supply last year, cutting funding for many of its pilot programs. The province of British Columbia (the nexus of the harm-reduction movement) finally pulled back support last month, after a leaked presentation confirmed that safer-supply drugs are getting sold internationally and that the government is investigating 60 pharmacies for paying kickbacks to safer-supply patients. For now, all safer-supply drugs dispensed within the province must be consumed under supervision.
Harm-reduction activists have insisted that no hard evidence exists of widespread diversion of safer-supply drugs, but this is only because they refuse to study the issue. Most “studies” supporting safer supply are produced by ideologically driven activist-scholars, who tend to interview a small number of program enrollees. These activists also reject attempts to track diversion as “stigmatizing.”
The experiences of Sweden, the United Kingdom, and Canada offer a clear warning: safer supply is a reliably harmful policy. The outcomes speak for themselves—rising addiction, diversion, and little evidence of long-term benefit.
As the debate unfolds in the United States, policymakers would do well to learn from these failures. Americans should not be made to endure the consequences of a policy already discredited abroad simply because progressive leaders choose to ignore the record. The question now is whether we will repeat others’ mistakes—or chart a more responsible course.
by CAA | Mar 27, 2025 | Illicit Drugs, Library
Police are charging more drug dealers with manslaughter in fentanyl overdose deaths. But the shift is not satisfying everyone.
CAA Comment
This article raises very interesting concepts in relation to the management of criminals involved in the drug trade more broadly.
Canada is leading the world in making players in the drug scene accountable for their actions by charging dealers with manslaughter who sell drugs that ultimately cause a person’s death. We are unaware of any investigations of that nature into drug overdose deaths in this country; perhaps there should be.
Notably, there is a counterargument inferring that targeting low-level dealers but not charging those higher up the pecking order is not the right way to go. However, the higher you go, the more difficult it is and the greater chance of no success.
Again, the Canadians have used existing laws and some lateral applications rather than creating mayhem trying to enact new specific laws to deal with the problem.
We have seen here a lack of enthusiasm to use existing laws in creative ways to deal with a number of issues putting pressure on the Courts to deal with.
An ingrained attitude toward the Law, or more precisely, the legislation, by Law enforcement is very negative when it comes to its application. A can’t-do attitude prevails over can-do, a sign of law enforcement’s poor leadership.
Of course, arguing against targeting low-level dealers means that any impact on the drug market will be minimised, but targeting the low-level dealers will not only force those up the chain to slurry their hands to keep their trade alive as low-level dealers are removed, but their identity will be more exposed.
As we have argued before, the only way to deal with the Drug epidemic is to target the marketing model, damaging that deters the trade better than any prosecution, although targeted prosecutions must be part of that strategy.
Deterring customers is the primary objective of any disruption.
*****************
Four years ago, Tyler Ginn died of a fentanyl overdose at the age of 18. Tyler’s father found his son unresponsive in the bedroom of their Brooklin, Ont., home.
For Tyler’s mother, Gayle Fowlie, the pain of his loss remains raw.
“He was my kid that rode his bike to the store to buy me a chocolate bar on my birthday, you know?” she told Canadian Affairs in an interview.
Police charged Jacob Norn, the drug dealer who sold Tyler his final, fatal dose, with manslaughter. More than three years after Tyler’s death, Norn was convicted and sentenced to six years in prison.
“I don’t think you can grasp how difficult going through a trial is,” Fowlie said. “On TV, it’s a less than an hour process. But the pain of it, and going over every detail and then going over every detail again … it provides details you wish you didn’t know.”
But Fowlie is glad Norn was convicted. If anything, she would have liked him to serve a longer sentence. Lawyers have told her Norn is likely to serve only two to four years of his sentence in prison.
“My son’s never coming back [and] his whole family has a life sentence of missing him the rest of our lives,” she said. “So do I think four years is fair? No.”
Norn’s case reflects a growing trend of drug dealers being charged with manslaughter when their drug sales lead to fatal overdoses.
But this shift has not satisfied everyone. Some would like to see drug dealers face harsher or different penalties.
“If we say that it was 50 per cent Tyler’s fault for buying it and 50 per cent Jacob’s fault for selling it … then I think he should have a half-a-life sentence,” said Fowlie.
Others say the legal system’s focus on prosecuting low-level drug dealers misses the broader issues at play.
“[Police] decided, in the Jacob Norn case, they were going to go one stage back,” said Peter Thorning, who was Norn’s defence lawyer.
“What about the person who gave Jacob that substance? What about the person who supplied the substance to [that person]? There was no investigation into where it came from and who was ultimately responsible for the death of that young man.”
Manslaughter charge
At least 50,000 Canadians have died from drug overdoses since 2016. Last year, an average of 21 individuals died each day, with fentanyl accounting for nearly 80 per cent of those deaths.
Fentanyl, a synthetic opioid, is up to 50 times stronger than heroin and 100 times stronger than morphine. A dose as small as a few grains of salt can be lethal.
Given its potency, police and prosecutors have increasingly turned to manslaughter charges when a dealer’s product results in a fatal overdose.
A recent study in the Canadian Journal of Law and Society found that the number of manslaughter charges laid for drug-related deaths in Canada surged from three cases in 2016 to 135 in 2021.
Individuals can be convicted of manslaughter for committing unlawful, reckless or negligent acts that result in death but where there was no intention to kill. Sentences can range from probation (in rare cases) to life.
Murder charges, by contrast, require an intent to kill or cause fatal harm. Drug dealers typically face manslaughter charges in overdose cases, as their intent is to distribute drugs, not to kill those who purchase them.
Joanne Bortoluss, a spokesperson for the Durham Regional Police, which charged Norn, said that each of their investigations follows the same fundamental process.
“Investigators consider the strength of the evidence, the dealer’s level of involvement, and applicable laws when determining whether to pursue charges like manslaughter,” she said.
The Canadian Journal of Law and Society study also found that prosecutions often target low-level dealers, many of whom are drug users themselves and have personal connections to the deceased.
Norn’s case fits this pattern. He struggled with substance abuse, including addiction to fentanyl, Xanax and Percocet. Tyler and Norn were friends, the judge said in the court ruling, although Fowlie disputes this claim.
“[Those words] are repulsive to me,” she said.
The Crown argued Norn demonstrated “a high degree of moral blameworthiness” by warning Ginn of the fentanyl’s potency while still selling it to him. In a call to Ginn, he warned him “not to do a lot of the stuff” because he “didn’t want to be responsible for anything that happened.”
Fowlie’s outrage over Norn’s lenient sentencing is compounded by the fact that Norn was found trafficking fentanyl again after her son’s death.
“So we’ve killed somebody, and we’re still … trafficking? We’re not worried who else we kill?” Fowlie said.
Trafficking
Some legal sources noted that manslaughter charges do not necessarily lead to harsh sentences or deterrence.
“If you look at how diverse and … lenient some sentences are for manslaughter, I don’t think it really pushes things in the direction that [victims’ families] want,” said Kevin Westell, a Vancouver-based trial lawyer and former chair of the Canadian Bar Association.
Westell noted that the term “manslaughter” is misleading. “Manslaughter is a brutal-sounding title, but it encapsulates a very broad span of criminal offences,” he said.
In Westell’s view, consistently charging dealers with drug trafficking could be more effective for deterring the practice.
“What really matters is how long the sentence is, and you’re better off saying, ‘We know fentanyl is dangerous, so we’re setting the sentence quite high,’ rather than making it harder to prove with a manslaughter charge,” he said.
Trafficking is a distinct charge from manslaughter that involves the distribution, sale or delivery of illicit drugs. The sentencing range for fentanyl trafficking is eight to 15 years, Kwame Bonsu, a media relations representative for the Department of Justice, told Canadian Affairs.
“Courts must impose sentences that are proportionate to the gravity of the offence and the degree of responsibility of the offender,” Bonsu said, referencing a 2021 Supreme Court of Canada decision. Bonsu noted that aggravating factors such as lack of remorse or trafficking large quantities can lead to harsher sentences.
‘Head of the snake’
Some legal experts noted the justice system often fails to target those higher up in the drug supply chain.
“We don’t know how many hands that drug goes through,” said Thorning, the defence lawyer.
“Are the police going to prosecute every single person who provides fentanyl to another person? Jacob [Norn] was himself an addict trafficker — what about the person who supplied the substance to him?”
Thorning also questioned whether government agencies bear some responsibility. “Is some government agency’s failure to investigate how that drug came into the country partly responsible for the young man’s death?”
Westell, who has served as both a Crown prosecutor and criminal defence lawyer, acknowledged the difficulty of targeting higher-level traffickers.
“Cutting off the head of the snake does not align very well with the limitations of the international borders,” he said.
“Yes, there are transnational justice measures, but a lot gets lost, and as soon as you cross an international border of any kind, it becomes incredibly difficult to follow the chain in a linear way.”
Bortoluss, of the Durham police, said even prosecuting what appear to be obvious fentanyl-related deaths — such as Tyler Ginn’s — can be challenging. Witnesses can be reluctant to cooperate, fearing legal consequences. It can also be difficult to identify the source of drugs, as “transactions often involve multiple intermediaries and anonymous online sales.”
Another challenge in deterring fentanyl trafficking is the strong financial incentives of the trade.
“Even if [Norn] serves two to four years for killing somebody, but he could make a hundred thousand off of selling drugs, is it worth it?” Fowlie said.
Thorning agreed that the profit incentive can be incredibly powerful, outweighing the risk of a potential sentence.
“The more risky you make the behaviour, the greater the profit for a person who’s willing to break our laws, and the profit is the thing that generates the conduct,” he said.
A blunt instrument
Legal experts also noted the criminal justice system alone cannot solve the fentanyl crisis.
“Most people who have [lost] a loved one [to drug overdose] want to see a direct consequence to the person that’s responsible,” said Westell. “But I think they would also like to see something on a more macro level that helps eliminate the problem more holistically, and that can’t be [achieved through] crime and punishment alone.”
Thorning agrees.
“These are mental health .. [and] medical issues,” he said. “Criminal law is a blunt instrument [that is] not going to deal with these things effectively.”
Even Fowlie sees the problem as bigger than sentencing. Her son struggled with the stigma associated with therapy and medication, which made it difficult for him to seek help.
“We need to normalize seeing a therapist, like we normalize getting your eyes checked every year,” she said.
by CAA | Mar 25, 2025 | Library, Uncategorized, Youth
Many plaudits are attributed to the crime solution proposed by the new bail laws. Herald Sun 20th March 2025.
Although the changes are welcome and will have a positive impact, they are highly unlikely to be the ‘silver bullet’ hoped for. Short-term reprieve for victims is welcome, but long-term gains will still be challenging.
The Bail law changes are akin to taking to a massive pile of ‘record crime’ with a teaspoon rather than a decent frontend loader. The pile will grow quicker than the solutions applied.
What is misleading is the role of Bail or Remand; they are ostensibly mechanisms to ensure a person charged with a crime appears in court to answer the charges.
What was lacking was the consideration of community safety. It was a disappointing omission, but how the judiciary interprets these changes will be interesting to watch.
That a perpetrator has a propensity to continue offending after being granted bail makes the continuation of bail unacceptable. Therefore, the perpetrator must be remanded in custody, no ifs, buts or excuses.
Being held in custody preceding a court appearance to answer the charges is not a punishment for a crime; punishment is the judiciary’s role when the case is determined.
The problem we are facing, which needs urgent remedial attention, is the length of time juveniles, or, for that matter, anybody is held in custody without being convicted of the charges they face.
There is no doubt that for very serious capital crimes, the period in detention would vary dramatically for a juvenile charged with lesser offences.
The solution to this problem lies with the courts, which seem very inefficient. They spend most of their time remanding or considering applications for bail and procedural matters rather than getting on with hearing cases.
By the time a juvenile gets to have their case heard; the time on remand is predominantly deducted as part of the penalty, meaning that after the finding of guilt, there is generally little in the way of punishment that the judiciary applies.
This again sends the wrong message to the youths; they can claim they didn’t get a penalty for their indiscretion, and it then gives them bragging rights.
This issue must be resolved before we achieve meaningful inroads into reining in juvenile crime. And that is before long-term strategies that address anti-social behaviour before it develops.
Changes the CAA propose will further strengthen the process and reduce even further the likelihood of an innocent youth being incarcerated for a lengthy period and negate the much-argued proposition that putting juveniles in jail will make them worse.
Any harm done will be minimised if the remand periods are much shorter, providing less opportunity for youths to learn from other detainees. Careful management of these facilities will further reduce adverse impacts on those on remand.
Remand periods must be reduced to days or weeks, not months; whatever needs to be done to achieve this must be done immediately – no excuses.
by CAA | Mar 23, 2025 | Library, Uncategorized, Youth
The CAA has a strong record of accurately predicting future developments, like the current youth crime tsunami, years before it blossomed to its current levels. However, the impending disaster brewing causes the CAA members to lose sleep.
Daily, in all media, there is an indisputable increase in people, professionals, and concerned citizens, from parents to shopkeepers, speaking out like never before about the criminal behaviour of our youth and the visceral behaviour of young people.
One of the most plausible reasons for this negative growth of criminal and anti-social behaviour amongst youth was identified by Psychologist Maria Ruberto, reported in the Herald Sun on 23rd of March 2023.
Roberto identifies a failure in resilience at the core of many issues facing young people. The inability to make rational or informed decisions or any decision at all, including saying no, provides the environment for young people to be swept up in anti-social and criminal behaviours, which groups predominantly undertake.
As she points out, the parents have a lot to answer for in over-protecting young people, avoiding the necessity for them to develop reliance.
However, it is not just the parents to blame because much of this lack of resilience has been planted in their parents by the mishandling of the COVID-19 pandemic, where the government took away the ability of all citizens to make their own decisions.
Rather than being informers, providing guidance and combating resources, the Government made decisions for everybody and enforced them with the Police.
The real impact of this incompetent management of the Pandemic is only starting to be felt; there is more to come, a lot more.
Identifying the issue is only the start; dealing with it is the real challenge.
Unfortunately, it seems that those with influence see only one solution, as detailed recently by the Youth Commissioner,
“Instead of sweeping laws to toughen bail tests, we want to see investment in assessments, interventions and supports that will tackle the drivers of each child’s offending and effectively support rehabilitation.”
The Commissioner is not alone; she has supporters of this hollow mantra, predominantly academics by profession and performance, claiming that her approach is the way to solve the problem.
The problems with this approach are that there are never any practical programs to deliver, an approach that has failed us for two decades and that the words never contain purpose, direction or action. This approach is an academic fantasy wish list that nobody will ever implement because the proponents are not actually or morally accountable, and there is no evidence that this approach will even work.
Pontification of itself is never a solution.
At best, we can, with care, devise strategies that will slowly change the prevailing youth behavioural demise. We cannot wait longer; the longer we wait, the more entrenched this behaviour becomes.
The CAA is exploring the establishment of a Youth Justice Advisory Panel consisting of pragmatic solution-orientated community leaders who together can design a plan to address the problem. Developing solutions that are pragmatic, effective and affordable to implement.
Holistically approaching the issue and providing consistency in the delivery of a program across a swathe of youth ages will be the key; the message must be consistent from preschool to secondary and beyond, with community initiatives developed to help guide children to adulthood.
The real challenge will be in developing new and innovative ways to deliver the required services and harvesting the positive aspects of all the current players in this space.
Parallel to this approach, strategies must be developed to equip parents to understand better their child’s development needs and coping strategies to assist them.
As important as a focus should be on children, the focus must be equally shared with parents and those in our community charged with interacting with children, whether in law enforcement, education or social development.
The proposed Panel could provide input to the Government, which is ultimately responsible for this issue and must act irrespective of ideological views; we cannot afford the luxury of those views hindering outcomes of value.
We envisage the Panel not being numerically large, quality rather than quantity, and representatives with a high profile from a broad cross-section of the community.
Established and operated by people who care.
The CAA would like anyone interested in participating as a Panel member to lodge their details and a summary of their credentials at ceo@caainc.org.au.
Let’s get this done.
by CAA | Mar 20, 2025 | Library, Uncategorized, Youth
As predictable as night follows day, all the pundits have raised their heads in condemning locking serious juvenile offenders up on remand to ensure they face court for their alleged crimes while preventing the commission of further crimes.
Be under no illusion the chances of a 10-year-old being held on remand is next to zero, as is any child. A child will have to do more than commit just one offence before the new bail laws take effect, remembering that the vast majority of young people coming before a court have already received multiple formal cautions by Police under the police diversion strategy before Police charge them and take them to court for repeated offences.
Although they may have committed more than one offence and received multiple cautions, they come before the Court as a first offender, and the cautions are not used against them.
A proper reform would be for the Police Cautions to be included in the matters put before the judiciary when deciding penalties or applications for bail – the judiciary should be fully informed.
It is not the locking up that is the problem per se; it is what is done in the management of juveniles in detention, and that needs a considerable shakeup or perhaps the complete removal of current practices on the basis they have and will continue to fail.
It is often said that to lock up a child will make them worse, but worse than what?
If they come out of detention worse, there is only one culprit: poor management of the child while detained.
The pundits reported on in The Age, March 16, are the Australian Medical Association, the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners, the Australian Human Rights Commissioner, Victoria‘s Principal Commissioner for Children and Young People, Liana Buchanan, and the Commissioner for Aboriginal Children and Young People, Meena Sing. If they round out the people the government relies on for advice, it is no wonder we are in despair with the youths.
There would be grave doubt that any of these people had ever dealt with recidivists, so their opinion is purely academic and void of pragmatism because they don’t know.
However, the real standout was Victoria‘s Principal Commissioner for Children and Young People, Liana Buchanan, and Commissioner for Aboriginal Children and Young People, Meena Sing, who were motivated to issue a joint statement.
“We understand that Victorians want to feel safe and that particular cases profiled in the media have impacted that sense of safety,” they said. “However, we are concerned the bail reforms proposed by the Victorian government will radically increase the number of children remanded in custody and will not make the community safer.
This may also indicate where the problems are for young people.
These two allegedly esteemed bureaucrats took the tried and tested method of deflecting responsibility by blaming the media,
‘…the particular cases profiled in the media have impacted that sense of safety’, they said, referring to the community angst.
Sorry, but it is not the media causing the mayhem; it is those children supposedly represented but government agencies who cause the lack of safety in the community.
The alternate view of these laws reeks of defending failed functions.
Followed by
“Instead of sweeping laws to toughen bail tests, we want to see investment in assessments, interventions and supports that will tackle the drivers of each child’s offending and effectively support rehabilitation.”
Sadly, those quoted and like thinkers have followed this path for a decade or more, and where that has got us? Because of this fanciful failed approach, hundreds, if not thousands, of children, have lives ruined and the lives of many other citizens because pragmatic and effective strategies have not been employed.
There is an urgent need to improve the standard of care while children are in detention to make the experience of value to them so that they may see the error of their ways. That does not mean enjoyable.
The discipline they need to make their way in society must be foremost in their learning.
Above all else, understand the Bail Laws are not talking about a sentence where the child must stand to account for their misdeeds, but Remand, is a process to ensure they attend Court for their hearing and lose the right to bail because of their continued offending creating the need to protect the community.
It was also reported that for
“Jacinta Allan, Police Minister Anthony Carbines, Attorney-General Sonya Kilkenny, Department of Justice Secretary Kate Houghton and a dozen or so ministerial and departmental advisers, it was a long weekend of a very different kind.
All day Saturday, Sunday, Labour Day Monday and right up until midday on Tuesday when Cabinet was due to meet to consider proposed changes to Victoria’s bail laws, this working group was sweating over the final shape and details of the reforms”.
The Ministers could have saved the sweat by getting a new lot of advisers, as this current lot were not helpful.
It was also reported that,
“A current Senate inquiry into youth justice cites Victoria as an exemplar jurisdiction because it incarcerates children at a lower rate than any other state in Australia. The inquiry heard evidence that on any given night, there were on average 88 children in detention in Victoria, compared to 240 in NSW and 317 in Queensland”. – The Age
This is the problem exposed. Not only is it a fallacy to assume that there is less of a crime problem in Victoria, we know there is not; however, a more useful statistic would be the number of children on remand and their recidivism rate after their legal matters are resolved.
It would be helpful to know how effectively we manage these youths and provide the opportunity to improve the process dramatically. The current regimes are failing, encouraging the judiciary not to use the process, an easy out.
This is either plain old, everyday incompetent groupthink, or worse, telling the government what they think they want to hear.
Either way, if this is the quality of the advice the government relies on, then no wonder where we are where we are with Youth Crime.
Each of these people or organisations identified should hang their collective heads in shame for getting our miscreant youth where they are.
Unfortunately, until some accountability for performance is introduced to this process, nothing will change – contributors and decision-makers are never responsible for the outcomes they promulgate.
