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POLICE ASSOCIATION
OF VICTORIA
Victorian budget: Police Association
asks and receives … up to a point
The Police Association scored more
significant victories for members in
the state budget delivered in May.
In the wake of landmark wins on
police numbers and wages in the
past two years, the 2012-13 budget
initiatives on law enforcement
showed that the Victorian
government has listened to the
Association and its members on key
issues.
‘No group ever gets exactly what
they want in a state budget, but
we think it is a good result in tight
economic conditions and shows the
government remains committed
to helping our members keep the
community safe,’ said Assistant
Secretary Bruce McKenzie.
‘And for that, the government
deserves great credit.’
The main item in the Association’s
budget submission was for
infrastructure upgrades at police
stations across the state.
The submission emphasised the
importance of the Force complying
with its occupational health and
safety responsibilities as police
stations became more crowded due
to the recruitment of 1,700 new police
and 940 protective service officers in
the first term of government.
In his budget speech, Treasurer Kim
Wells declared, ‘The 2012-13 budget
funds additional capital upgrades
to accommodate these additional
Victoria police personnel, supporting
them in their vitally important work’.
In a separate statement, the Minister
for Police and Emergency Services,
Peter Ryan, outlined $133 million
in new infrastructure spending,
including $56 million to upgrade
or refurbish police stations and an
additional $21.7 million to upgrade
train stations to accommodate PSOs.
As part of this spending commitment,
about 100 police stations would be
modified or renovated over two years,
with the bulk of the money directed to
stations in areas expected to gain the
biggest influx of new members.
Apart from the station upgrades, the
government allocated an extra $54.6
million for new and upgraded facilities
to support the training needs of
members.
About half of this spending will go
towards the Victoria Police Operational
Tactics and Safety Training (OTST)
complex in Essendon so that it will
adequately cope with having to train
the extra members being recruited
over the next few years.
The government allocated $13.6 million
for a new police station and State
Emergency Service combined facility
at Waurn Ponds, and $6.27 million to
build a new police station at Emerald.
The Police Association hopes that
these new police stations will be
independently and adequately staffed
and not have police officers deployed
to them from nearby 24-hour police
stations.
Bruce said the main disappointment
in the budget was that there were no
specific commitments to provide more
police vehicles and IT equipment for
members.
‘We will continue to press for these
resources to keep our members
safe and with access to basic
communications and transport
services required in our work,’ he said.
Finally, the Association was also
pleased with the government’s
commitment to improve police
monitoring of known sex offenders.
In the Association’s budget
submission, the government was
warned that police resources to
manage registered sex offenders
were ‘grossly inadequate’ and that
any delay in processing information
and providing our members with
the necessary support would result
in vulnerable members of the
community being placed at risk.
In line with the Association’s request,
the budget will provide an additional
$8.8 million over four years to
strengthen the oversight, monitoring,
and management of registered sex
offenders living in the community.
Bruce said the Association would
monitor the rollout of the new funding
to check whether it was adequate.
He said he would score the state budget
8 out of 10. While the government was
continuing to deliver on its community
safety commitments and staffing
promises, there are reservations
when it comes to gaps on equipment
improvements for the extra police.
He said, ‘We will continue to press the
government for resources to allow our
members to be as professional and as
safe as possible. And we should not
forget that even with the promised
extra police officers, Victoria will still
be below the national average on
police-population ratio.’
POLICE ASSOCIATION
OF TASMANIA
The sorry saga of the beanie
Last time we checked (like this
morning), Tassie gets mighty cold in
winter, but don’t let that get in the way
of common sense when it comes to the
issue of warm gear for police officers
who have to work in the icy cold, wet,
and windy conditions.
No, no, no, if the thermal beanie
doesn’t look the part as far as ‘dress
and appearance’ standards go, well
then, boys and girls, you’ll just have to
freeze.
Sounds ridiculous, right? This is
Tasmania: where our people work in
Queensland Police Union Journal August 2012 47