Tuesday, 16 May 2023

 Melina BATH (Eastern Victoria) (17:23): (212) My adjournment matter is for the Minister for Police, and it relates to the recruitment and retention of Victorian police force officers in my electorate of Eastern Victoria Region. The action I seek from the minister is to inform the people in my electorate of the measures the government will implement to address this high rate of attrition of VicPol’s workforce from our region and to ensure that our communities have the protections they deserve and that the force certainly has the on-the-ground resources that it needs to alleviate this overburden and overwork.

Minister, your government promised to recruit 502 new police officers and 50 protective services officers over a two-year period. That is what it has been spruiking. However, the Chief Commissioner of Police Shane Patton said that he is concerned that police are resigning from the job in significant numbers. Indeed recently on the radio he stated that over 700 officers have left the force in the last financial year, and this is 200 up on the previous year. To cover these losses he is talking about the need to recruit double that – in effect upwards of a thousand people.

During COVID police officers were asked to complete fairly tedious and minute tasks in the enforcement of COVID protocols by the Andrews government, so it is no wonder that as well as their normal burden and their normal workload in Eastern Victoria Region the fact is that they are disenfranchised and fatigued after this. Crime is rising, unfortunately, in Eastern Victoria Region and particularly over the last eight years in the field of justice procedure offences: 85 per cent in Bass Coast, 129 per cent in Cardinia, 186 per cent in South Gippsland and 200 per cent in Baw Baw Shire Council area. Crimes against the person have increased in the past eight years, including 37 per cent in Bass Coast, 56 per cent in Cardinia, 55 per cent in South Gippsland, 50 per cent in Casey and 50 per cent in Baw Baw as well. On-farm crime is also an issue that is often spoken about. People come into my office or write emails concerned about the lack of officers who are able to get out there, and it is not for want of trying or caring from our frontline police officers, because they do an amazing job. I certainly have the highest regard for the ones that I speak to. So, Minister, will you inform the people of Eastern Victoria Region what you will do to stop the drain of police force members leaving Eastern Victoria Region?