Annual Report
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VICTORIA POLICE Annual Report 2019–2020 Victoria Police respectfully acknowledges the Traditional Owners The State of Victoria and its employees do not guarantee that the of the country throughout Victoria. We pay our respects to Elders, publication is without flaw of any kind or is wholly appropriate for both past, present and emerging and continue to recognise and your particular purposes and therefore disclaims all liability for any embrace the fact that Aboriginal People are connected to the error, loss or other consequence that may arise from you relying on oldest, continuous history. any information in this publication. Authorised and published by Victoria Police. Victoria Police Centre Responsible Body’s Declaration 311 Spencer Street, Docklands VIC 3008 In accordance with the Financial Management Act 1994, I am www.police.vic.gov.au pleased to present the Victoria Police Annual Report for the year Print managed by Finsbury Green. ending 30 June 2020. Designed by Bite Visual Communications Group. This publication is available in a format compliant with the WCAG 2.0 on the police.vic.gov.au website. Shane Patton APM © State of Victoria (Victoria Police) 2020 Chief Commissioner All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, 12 October 2020 stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means without the prior written permission of the State of Victoria (through Victoria Police). ISSN 2202-9672 (Print) ISSN 2202-9680 (Online) Published October 2020 2 Victoria Police Annual Report 2019—2020 Contents Chief Commissioner Forewords 2 1. Our Organisation 5 2. Our Governance 7 3. Our Performance 12 4. Our People 22 5. Our Year 26 6. Other Disclosures 34 7. Financial Statements 75 8. Appendices 154 Annual Report 2019—2020 Victoria Police 1 Foreword from the Outgoing Chief Commissioner of Police It is with pride that I present the Victoria Police Annual Report for the 2019—20 financial year, and my final Annual Report as Chief Commissioner of Victoria Police. The 2019—20 Annual Report provides a record of performance Operations Sentinel, Soteria, Shielding and Ribbon were and achievements against a range of statutory requirements, as well established, and have played a vital role in our organisation’s efforts as Victoria Police strategic plans. to combat the spread of the virus and have seen an expanded role for our Protective Services Officers (PSOs) which has been well The Victoria Police Capability Plan 2016—2025 (Capability received by the community. Plan), in its third year of implementation, outlines the capabilities we need to be an effective police force now and in the future. This unprecedented and challenging situation has seen a need for The Capability Plan provides us with a clear strategic vision Victoria Police to think innovatively. based on changing needs within Victoria Police and across our In compliance with the Premier’s directive that people who could communities to guide our reform and investment decisions. work from home must do so, a large portion of our workforce worked remotely for several months and continued to work 2019—20 in Review diligently in the service of the Victorian community. The recent ICT This year has been a challenging one, for Victoria Police and modernisation work which commenced in late 2019 has well Victorians alike, with many events having greatly impacted Victoria. equipped Victoria Police for remote working and has stretched our In our summer season we faced devastating bushfires across thinking on workplace flexibility. the state’s north and east and saw the first ever State of Disaster I would personally like to thank all Victoria Police employees for declared for Victoria. Victoria Police deployed more than 2,000 the dedication and resolve they have displayed during these officers to the fire zones to provide much needed support to affected challenging times. It is their dedication that has enabled Victoria areas and manage the unprecedented evacuation of approximately Police to continue to protect and serve the community in these 70,000 people. extraordinary times. On 11 March 2020, the World Health Organisation declared On Wednesday 22 April 2020, Victoria Police suffered an coronavirus (COVID-19) a Global Pandemic, and a State of immense tragedy. Leading Senior Constable Lynette Taylor, Emergency was declared in Victoria on 16 March 2020. Victoria Constable Glen Humphris, Senior Constable Kevin King and Police has been crucial to the Victorian Government response to Constable Josh Prestney were killed while responding to an incident coronavirus (COVID-19). Our officers have been playing an active on the Eastern Freeway. It was the biggest loss of Victoria Police life role in ensuring that the community is complying with the directions in a single incident. of the Chief Health Officer (CHO), while also maintaining regular policing services, which are critical for keeping Victorians safe. 2 Victoria Police Annual Report 2019—2020 This tragedy has been felt deeply by the organisation and the wider In January 2020, the Gender Equality and Inclusion Command community as demonstrated by the grief, support and respect the (GEIC) was established. The GEIC will build on the lessons learnt people of Victoria have shown for our police officers. On behalf and progress made as part of the organisation’s response to of Victoria Police, I would like to pay tribute to our fallen officers the Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission and extend my deepest sympathies to their families. They gave their (VEOHRC) Independent review into sex discrimination and sexual lives to protect the Victorian community, and their sacrifice will not harassment, including predatory behaviour, in Victoria Police. be forgotten. It will also focus on broader workplace diversity, aiming to create a workforce that reflects the Victorian community and is inclusive and Despite the many challenges we have faced this year, Victoria safe for all employees. Police can also be proud of many achievements. In 2019—20, 229 people lost their lives on our roads. While this The launch of the Police Assistance Line (PAL) and Online Reporting figure marks a decrease from 2018—19, there is still much work to (OLR) services has marked another big step towards a modernised be done. Victoria Police will continue to work together with our road police service. Victoria Police completed the state-wide rollout safety partners, stakeholders, community and government to make of body worn cameras in January 2020. Frontline police at the Victorian roads the safest in the world. rank of sergeant and below, PSOs and specialist units such as the Public Order Response Team, Dog Squad, Water Police, Mounted In closing I would like to say that I am immensely proud of Victoria Branch and Highway Patrol are all now embracing the new piece Police’s achievements during my time as Chief Commissioner. of equipment. I remain as passionate about policing as I was when I commenced in this role five years ago. My time as Chief Commissioner has only In May 2020, Victoria Police relaunched its Organisational Values: served to increase my commitment to making Victoria a safe place Respect, Integrity, Leadership, Professionalism, Support, Flexibility to work and raise a family. and Safety. Recommitting to our values is an important part of Victoria Police’s progress towards cultural reform. The seven values I am pleased to leave the organisation under the strong leadership and associated behaviours define what our organisation stands for of Shane Patton who was appointed and commenced his post on and guide how we behave. 27 June 2020, as Victoria’s 23rd Chief Commissioner of Police. In August 2019, I made a public apology to the LGBTIQ community on behalf of Victoria Police for police actions over the years that have caused unnecessary and unacceptable harm. This was an important step in Victoria Police’s journey to becoming an inclusive, supportive and equitable organisation for LGBTIQ employees. Graham Ashton AM Chief Commissioner Victoria Police I am pleased to leave the organisation under the strong leadership of Shane Patton. Annual Report 2019—2020 Victoria Police 3 Foreword from the Incoming Chief Commissioner of Police It is an honour and a privilege to be appointed as the 23rd Chief Commissioner of Victoria Police. First, I would like to thank former Chief Commissioner Graham I will continue the commitment to supporting the mental health Ashton for the significant contribution he has made to the people of and wellbeing of our employees to increase resilience, as well Victoria and to reflect on his commitment to policing nationally and as progress the gender equality and diversity reforms initiated his leadership of Victoria Police. The modernisation program has put through our work with the Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Victoria Police at the forefront of policing. Rights Commission. My key focus as Chief Commissioner will be on community safety. We will maintain the momentum of our modernisation program by This will be at the centre of all actions and activities undertaken by examining the services we deliver and how we deliver them through Victoria Police over the coming years. We will continue to enhance a major Service Delivery Transformation program. Drawing on our our community engagement and build public trust and confidence, internal expertise, international good practice and the input of the and work to keep the community safe and feeling safe. communities we serve, this multi-year program will fundamentally rethink the way we operate and ensure we have the capabilities There will be a proactive focus on targeting high-harm and and approaches required to maintain community safety into high-impact crime, family violence and road trauma. Wherever the future. possible, we will take the opportunity to work with others to prevent crime. We will also maintain our focus on counter-terrorism and However, the first order of business is to continue working will increase police visibility in the community and on the roads to closely with partner agencies in our response to the coronavirus ensure a safe, secure and orderly society.