Victoria Police is the primary law enforcement agency of the Australian state of Victoria. It was formed in 1853 and currently operates under the Victoria Police Act 2013.[8][9][10]
As of June 2023[update], Victoria Police has 21,326 staff, comprising 15,842 police officers, 1,412 Protective Services Officers, 346 Police Custody Officers and 216 Police Recruits in training, 2 reservists and 3,507 Victorian Public Service (VPS) employees across 333 police stations.[4] Victoria Police's budget for 2023-2024 is A$4.13 billion.[2]
Between 31 July 2018 and 18 July 2019, Victoria Police recorded 514,398 offences, an increase of 1.5% from the previous year.[11] Victoria Police also responded to 897,016 emergency calls, a reduction of 0.3% from previous year.[8]
A couple of years after the first Europeans settled there, in September 1836 the area around Melbourne, known as the District of Port Phillip, became part of the colony of New South Wales. From 1851 until 1901 it became the Colony of Victoria, with its own government within the British Empire. In 1901 it became a state of the new Commonwealth of Australia.[12]
The early settlers of Melbourne provided their own police force, and in 1840 there were 12 constables who were paid two shillings and nine pence per day, and the chief constable was Mr. W (Tulip) Wright.[13] Charles Brodie followed Wright as chief constable in 1842 and was succeeded by W. J. Sugden, who held the positions of 'town chief constable' and superintendent of the local fire brigade.[13] By 1847, there were police in 'country centres', and the Melbourne force was composed of 'one chief officer, four sergeants, and 20 petty constables'.[13] There was also 'a force of 28 mounted natives' enlisted and trained by DeVilliers and, later, Captain Pulteney Dana.[13]
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The Snodgrass Committee was established in early 1852 to "identify the policing needs of the colony", and, following the committee's report in September 1852, the Victoria Police was formally established on 8 January 1853[14] from an existing colonial police force of 875 men. Later that month, William Henry Fancourt Mitchell was 'gazetted as Chief Commissioner of Police for the Colony of Victoria'.[15]
In 1853, Victoria Police was the first police organisation in Australia who merged all its police entities into one organisation under Victoria Police Chief Commissioner William Mitchell. Victoria continues to be the only state in Australia with a Chief Commissioner of Police.[16]
Their first major engagement was the following year, 1854, in support of British soldiers during the events leading up to, and confrontation at, the Eureka Stockade where some miners (mostly Irish), police and soldiers were killed. From a report at the time: 'the troops and Police were under arms, and just at the first blush of dawn they marched upon the camp at Eureka'.[17]
Mitchell resigned as Chief Commissioner, and Charles MacMahon was appointed acting chief commissioner that same year.[18] After the formation of the Victorian Police, the first recorded death on duty was Edward Gray in 1853, followed by William Hogan in 1854, both of drowning.[19]
The following couple of decades saw the growth of the police force, including the beginning of construction of the Russell Street police station in 1859.[20]
Six years later, three more officers (Kennedy, Lonigan and Scanlan) who were hunting the Kelly Gang, were killed by them at Stringybark Creek.[21][22] Two years later, in 1880, the police confronted the Kelly Gang at Glenrowan. A shoot-out ensued on 28 June, during which three members of the Kelly Gang were killed and following which Ned Kelly was shot and captured.[23]
In 1888, senior constable John Barry produced the first Victoria Police Guide, a manual for officers.[24] (The Victoria Police Manual, as it is now known, remains the comprehensive guide to procedure in the Victoria Police.) Police officers were granted the right to vote in parliamentary elections the same year.[25]
In 1899, the force introduced the Victoria Police Valour Award to recognise the bravery of members.[26] Three years later, in 1902, the right to a police pension was revoked.[27]
In October 1917, Victoria Police appointed Madge Connor as a 'police agent'—while not a full sworn officer, Connor was the first woman to be made a member of a police service in Victoria,[28] and was one of four women to be sworn in as officers in 1924, after she led a successful campaign for equal pay and status within the force.[29]
On 31 October 1923, members of the Victoria Police Force refused duty and went on strike over the introduction of a new supervisory system. The police strike led to riots and looting in Melbourne's central business district. The Victorian government enlisted special constables, and the Commonwealth of Australia called out the Australian military. Victoria Police are the only Australian Police Service to ever go on strike.
Only a few of the strikers were ever employed as policemen again, but the government increased pay and conditions for police as a result. Members of the Victoria Police (as its officers are generally known) now have among the highest union membership rates of any occupation, at well over 90%. Their union, Police Association Victoria, remains a very powerful industrial and political force in Victoria.
In the 1980s and 1990s allegations were made against most Australian police forces of corruption and graft, culminating in the establishment of several Royal Commissions and anti-corruption watchdogs. Inquiries have also been held into Victoria Police (Beach et al.). The force was criticised because members of the public (both innocent and guilty) were being fatally shot at a rate exceeding that of all other Australian police forces combined.[30] Related criticisms emerged after the 2008 killing of Tyler Cassidy by Victoria Police officers, which was partly blamed on inadequate training. In later years, numerous edits were made to the Wikipedia article about the killing from police computers, in an attempt to give a more favourable impression of the officers' conduct and the subsequent investigation.[31]
In 2001, Christine Nixon was appointed Chief Commissioner, becoming the first woman to head a police force in Australia.
In May 2004 former police officer Simon Illingworth appeared on ABC-TV's Australian Story documentary program to tell his disturbing story of entrenched police corruption in Victoria Police. He has also written a book about his experiences entitled Filthy Rat.[32]
In early 2007, Don Stewart, a retired Supreme Court judge, called for a royal commission into Victorian police corruption. Stewart alleged that the force was riddled with corruption that the Office of Police Integrity was unable to deal with.[33]
On 2 March 2009, Simon Overland was named as the new chief commissioner, replacing Christine Nixon, who was retiring.[34] In June 2011, Overland announced his decision to resign prematurely with effect from 1 July 2011 over what many assume were the allegations of corruption, the ombudsman criticism and the government pressure.[35][36][37]
In November 2011, then acting chief commissioner Ken Lay was named as chief commissioner after five months' caretaking.
On 21 October 2011, the police force evicted Occupy Melbourne protesters from Melbourne City Square. Despite 173 arrests being made, no charges were laid against any protesters.[38]
On 29 December 2014, Lay announced he was stepping down as the chief commissioner of Victoria Police after three years of service, taking leave until his resignation took effect on 31 January 2015. Deputy chief commissioner Tim Cartwright was acting in the role until a new commissioner was appointed.[39] On 25 May 2015, Deputy Commissioner Graham Ashton of the Australian Federal Police was announced as the new chief commissioner—he took up the role in July 2015.[40]
In April 2016, the treasurer announced an investment of $586 million into Victoria Police. From this investment, $540 million was used to employ 406 additional sworn police officers and 52 additional specialist staff, technology upgrades and an expanded forensic capability of Victoria Police; $36.8 million to replace and refurbish a number of police stations in regional and rural areas; $19.4 million to continue the Community Crime Prevention Program; $63 million to enhance counter-terrorism capability, including an additional 40 sworn police officers; and 48 additional specialist staff to investigate and respond to an increased terror threat. The budget also funds a package of initiatives for all Victoria Police employees to help deal with mental health problems.[41]
In 2015, Victoria Police employed The Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission (VEOHRC) to examine the nature and prevalence of sex discrimination, including predatory behaviour, amongst Victoria Police personnel.[42] Kate Jenkins was appointed the Commissioner[42] and, in mid December 2015, VEOHRC revealed its findings.[43] Shortly after, on 9 December 2015, Victoria Police Chief Commissioner Ashton apologised over the high tolerance and prevalence of sexual harassment and the sexual discrimination and gender inequality within Victoria Police. Ashton pledged a change of direction and the implementation of all 20 recommendations by VEOHRC.[44]
In December 2016, Police Minister Lisa Neville announced the recruitment of 2,735 new Victoria Police officers, the largest in the organisation's history as part of Victoria's first Community Safety Statement.[45]
In September 2017, Transport Accident Commission (TAC) notified Victoria Police of "anomalies" in the preliminary breath tests statistics data. TAC and Victoria Police analysed more than 17.1m tests starting February 2012 and found that 258,463, or less than 1.5% tests were probably false.[46] As a result, in mid 2018, TAC froze $4m funding to Victoria Police operations. Victoria Police also started an internal investigation into the matter, notified IBAC and appointed former chief commissioner Neil Comrie to conduct an investigation into the causes.[47] A preliminary report suggested that unrealistic management demands of between 50 and 100 breath tests per shift was a possible cause to faking the tests. The methods used by police officers was that of placing a finger over the straw entry hole of breath testing equipment or blowing into the straw themselves.[47]
In December 2018, Premier Daniel Andrews announced the Royal Commission into the Management of Police Informants to examine the actions of Victoria Police in their handling of Nicola Gobbo who informed on her clients whilst working as a barrister.[48][49] The commission was established following the High Court delivering their decision in AB v CD; EF v CD in November 2018 in which they found Victoria Police to be "guilty of reprehensible conduct".[50]
Between 1853 and 1877, when the first Victoria Police officers emerged, the uniforms resembled the military style of the day. Mounted and foot officers wore dark blue jackets buttoned to the neck. Mounted troops wore swords whilst the Gold Escorts carried revolvers and rifles. The foot patrols, as equipment, had wooden batons, notebooks, handcuffs and a whistle to call for assistance when in need. The whistles were fixed to the officer tunic by chain which prevented losing the whistle or falling during a foot chase,[51][52]
In 1877 and until 1947, Victoria Police's uniform resembled British Metropolitan Police's uniform. In 1920, the Wolseley leather "bobby" helmet was also introduced. Policeman were wearing striped pieces of cloth (brassards) on their lower left cuffs to show they were on duty. During World War II, Victoria Police issued anti-shrapnel steel helmets, also referred as "tin hats".[51]
Between 1947 and 1979, a major uniform change took place for Victorian Police officers. The bobby helmet was replaced by a black cloth peak cap, a silver police badge was introduced along with white shirts and ties for the general police officers. In 1963, a white pith helmet with a puggaree hatband and a hand-held radio were added to the Victoria Police general duties officers. Along with a new uniform, Victoria Police also introduced the first uniform for women. The uniform for females featured a knee-length skirt, a button-up jacket, a shirt and tie, tights, and peak hats made to fit a lady's hairstyle. Starting with 1972 until 1986, female police officers also carried handbags custom-made to hold batons and firearms.[51][53]
Between 1979 and 2013, police uniforms underwent a number of iterative changes, and there were a total of 83 combinations that a police officer could wear. The changes were mainly as needed based for the general duties policing, with the addition of capsicum sprays, handgun, baton, etc. In 1981, female police officers were approved trousers as part of their uniform and they were issued 54 pantyhose a year. In 2001, the baseball cap was introduced along with akubra and a woollen jumper. One major change happened in 2010 with the introduction of the Integrated Operational Equipment Vest (IOEV).[54][51]
In November 1986, Victoria Police announced the transition of the motto from "Tenez le droit" to "Uphold the right". This change would start taking place in December 1986.[55]
In June 2013, the new dark navy uniform was introduced to all officers as the new standard. The pants are made from rip-stop fabric, while the undergarment is made from cotton stretch, which can be short-sleeved or long-sleeved and is to be worn under the ballistic vest. Baseball caps remained, although they are darker in colour than pre-2013. The new dark uniform was designed to look more professional and to hide blood, dirt and sweat. The dark blue uniform was modelled after the Oxfordshire and Northumberland police attires.[51]
Victoria Police has a quasi-military rank structure. The modern policing model developed by Sir Robert Peel for the Metropolitan Policein the United Kingdom in the early 19th century used a military-like organisational structure.[56] Victoria Police has 12 legislated ranks from Constable through to Chief Commissioner with two of the twelve ranks now obsolete.[57] There are also two classifications received through progression First Constable and Leading Senior Constable.[58] In 2002, Victoria Police created the classification of Leading Senior Constable and in December 2011 created the classification of First Constable for confirmed constables both with its own insignia.[59][60] Reservist is also a rank for former Victoria Police officers who re-join Victoria Police for a non-operational role carrying out administrative duties.[61]