An internal Victoria Police email leaked to the Victorian Liberal Nationals Coalition has revealed police are working excessive hours to cover ‘acute’ staff shortages, Shadow Minister for Police and Leader of The Nationals Peter Ryan said today.
A leaked internal email has confirmed Knox Police Station is acutely under-resourced, due to John Brumby’s failure to put more police on the beat across Victoria, with Knox police put under further stress with ‘excessive’ night shifts to cover police shortages.
The email reads: ‘Due to acute staff shortages that we are experiencing, it is becoming increasingly more difficult to fill our night shift commitments. In an attempt to rectify this aspect of the roster, it has been suggested that I invite expressions of interest from members who may be interesting in working excessive night shifts.’ (Internal Victoria Police email)
Mr Ryan said it was appalling that instead of funding more police to fight the growing number of stabbings and violent assaults in Victoria, John Brumby’s response was to expect officers to work harder, for longer.
“Victoria’s hard-working police officers are doing the very best job they can given John Brumby’s refusal to increase police resources,” Mr Ryan said.
“Our police should not be asked to work excessive overtime because John Brumby refuses to provide adequate funding to protect Victorian families from record violent crime.”
Mr Ryan said it was likely the acute staff shortages revealed at Knox also existed in many other Victorian city and regional police stations.
"Victoria has the lowest number of frontline police per person of any state and for the fifth straight year has spent the least on police per person of any state,” Mr Ryan said.
“There are simply not enough police on the ground and John Brumby and his incompetent Police Minister are the only people in Victoria who claim otherwise.
“John Brumby should be putting more police on the streets instead of putting our police under extreme stress to cover up his failure to protect Victorians from record violent crime.”
Media contact: Sonia Heath (03) 9651 8526
