The CAA has had reports from concerned citizens that when they reported a crime in progress, the police refused to accept the report of a crime or respond to an incident.
They were told the offence was not committed on the caller, and it was up to the victim to contact the police.
We have now had the practice confirmed by Nick McGowan, a Member of Parliament, and consider the act a total abdication of the police role, by Police Force policy.
Based on the rationale of this strategy, it means that if a victim is unable to report the crime, perhaps because they are comatose as a consequence of criminal activity, any responsible citizen reporting the matter, not being the victim, would not have the report accepted or responded to.
Contrast that approach to the Police response to the home invasion experienced by Mick Malthouse, who fought off three perpetrators. Mick had nothing but praise for the police response, but isn’t he fortunate that his wife (also a victim) made the call to the Police and not a neighbour?
Mick was fortunate to avoid serious injury, but as with all these incidents, he was only a hair’s breadth away from serious injury from the crowbar-wielding crooks and took a blow to the arm rather than the head and narrowly avoided being seriously stabbed with a screwdriver.
The comparisons between McGowans’ and Malthouse’s experiences are hypocrisy writ large, or more accurately, seriously flawed policy.
We call on the Chief Commissioner to publicly apologise to McGowan and advise the public that the policy of rejecting a Police response on matters reported by non-victims is overturned. Vicpol will respond as soon as they can to all calls for help.
A cynic may suspect this is nothing more than some idiot trying to reduce the crime rate. If so, it is not the first time, and at the highest levels..
Is it the police or the casual employees at triple o. The sooner that service is handed back to the actual emergency services the better. Has anyone ever tried calling those fools..and been subjected to the ridiculous irrelevant question formats they refuse like robots to deviate from?… In have tried reporting crimes to them in progress here in Ballarat..only to gang up in frustration with their I’ll trained moronic operators. Now I don’t bother calling at all if I see someone breaking in to cars or houses. We never had this issue with the old d24. Ty he sooner this is returned to ambulance police fire serving members the better. Like everything under this government it’s a failed dumb idea.
I reported a 18 yr old vandalising a traffic light 7 years ago. (no victim so we can all destroy traffic cameras ? I doubt it as that’s a revenue sauce!!) Police came and caught him – his dad paid for the damage ! win win
I assume this change in policy has happened since this happened and I assume it was not advertised or debated.
Who is responsible for these decisions?
This is utter lunacy at its finest. Witness sees an armed robbery, rape, arson, vicious assault and so on and police need the victim to make the report!!!!!!!!words fail me. Safe case for neglect of duty in any civil claim.
What has policing come to in Victoria?
Caller: I can see somebody getting stabbed outside my home”
Response. “ Sorry the person getting stabbed will need to call us as you are not the victim”.
I know this is taking it to extremes, but if a person reports an incident that is likely to result in injury to another person or serious breach of the peace or substantial damage to another persons property then it should be accepted as a report
I think the old days of Policing offered more in the way of support to citizens reporting crime and were responded to asap.
How does Crimestoppers respond to non victim reports?
Absolute disgrace and illogical to boot. There is almost no need to have a police force safeguarding the wellbeing of citizens. Whoever came up with this insane policy should be publicly named and shamed. I am sure that hard working police members must be shocked. I wonder if concerned citizens will let this inapt government know their feelings. As a senior citizen I am very concerned about safety due to tsunami of the crime rate in Victoria. This policy will make the whole situation even worse.
Did I just read this article correctly? But, then again why should I be surprised. The state of lunacy in Victoria, caused by the Government that us Victorians have had to endure for over the last 10 years is astounding. This reeks of the Government finding any excuse to have to deal with a dwindling police force due to lack of funds: less callouts for an undermanned police force. Also, less arrests mean less possibility of incarceration. We all know that to incarcerate a criminal costs money, and money is what this Victorian Government does not have, Victoria is bankrupt.
This also is an other reason I believe so many criminals are receiving bail crime after crime after crime.
How can a crime be less a crime because it is reported by a bystander, a witness and not the victim? I shake my head….!
It’s almost as if Vicpol is trying to destroy what’s left of the trust that the public has in them. I doubt the new Chief Commissioner will improve things, the Labor Gov would only employ a ‘safe pair of hands’.
I read a story recently (in USA I presume) an owner came come to find his garage been burgled. He phoned the police who said they couldn’t call for several hours. He waited a few minutes and called back saying there had been a murder.
With this he got a very prompt response. When asked why he claimed a murder the reply was ‘you didn’t tell the truth, just like me’.
One does what one has to do!
Where have we gone.? Recently in the plantation area on the S.A. Border a large theft of poly water tank used for fire fighting purposes had been stolen overnight. This is 8 kms.from the local one member police station. When the victim tried to report it as there was good evidence still about the scene which may be vital in solving the crime,they hit a brickwall. The local member did not answer ( as usual) the phone went through to another 3 man station, which then diverted to what has always been a 24 hour station until recently. This town being 80 kms.away. This call was again diverted to eventually Ballarat , 250 km.away. Eventually the victim got to speak to someone, although it did not appear to be a police officer, as she was very vague. When given the location of the crime and name of the two nearest intersecting roads ( 1km away) it took Ballarat 15 minutes to find it on the computer at that end of the line. The victim was then informed that it was reported and number given after being asked for a reference number by the victim. This report would be later forwarded to the local one member station of the initial crime and they may or may not visit the scene !! This is classed as efficient service to the public ? The victim has not heard anything from the local police officer 3 days after the crime. The victim contacted me , knowing me to be an ex local member at the station some years ago and she was just frustrated as the manager of this large timber industry in the district, unable to have a police officer attend the location. Being nearby to the scene,I took it upon myself to photograph tyre prints,footprints, and other relevant evidence which I collected before forecasted heavy rain obliterated these signs. I informed the victim to let the local officer know of our findings if in fact she was contacted by the police in the future. Nothing heard to date. This is not the first time in recent years, it is par for the course. The message bandied about by local community is not to bother calling the police as you will never get them. A very sad state of affairs .