The woke Victoria Police force has hundreds of officers off sick, mainly for “mental health” reasons, and is struggling to fill 1,000 vacancies despite drastically relaxing entrance standards last month.
Crime is up 13.2% in Victoria year-on-year, but staffing levels at some stations are at less than 50%, while 800 officers were currently on sick leave, with the majority of those receiving workers’ compensation for psychological issues.
The force has been unable to fill more than 1,000 vacant positions amid low morale and record-low public confidence, and in March announced it was waiving the entrance exam for applicants with an Australian Tertiary Admission Ranking of 65 or above, even though the state average is 69.52.
A requirement for a one-on-one appointment with a psychologist was dropped, and GPs will be allowed to sign off on injuries and medical conditions “where possible”.
The move came after the force last year began contacting previously rejected applicants who had failed entrance exams or physicals to beg them to reapply.
Police said the changes brought standards into line with those required for Protective Service Officers (PSOs), who patrol railway stations, trains and major events, and only need to complete five push-ups to pass their fitness tests.
Mr Gatt said on Friday the high-pressure nature of the job was the reason so many cops were off sick, telling ABC News: “The number … off on long-term sick leave shows that members are feeling burnt out by the increasing workload.”
According to statistics released last month there was a 15.7% increase in criminal offences in 2024, crimes by children aged 10 to 17 rose to the highest levels since records began in 1993 – up 16.3%, while youth offending (those aged 18 to 24) was up 14.7%.
Despite the rising crime rates and staffing shortages, Victoria Police has continued to use manpower on far-left causes, including holding a large celebration on Monday for “Trans Day of Visibility”, taking part in multicultural festivals and homosexual parades, cracking down on peaceful nationalist activists, and giving immigrants free driving lessons.
Public confidence in Victoria Police is at an all-time low after the actions of the force during the Covid pandemic, with just 58% of residents satisfied with policing services in 2024, down from 73.1% a year earlier, while the same percentage say they have confidence in the force, a fall of 17% from the 2022-23 high.
The force’s dire public confidence ratings were a result of harsh and sometimes-illegal enforcement of the left-wing Labor state government’s draconian and human rights-violating Covid lockdowns and restrictions, former chief commissioner Kel Glare said in June.
And in January it was revealed that 683 officers have been investigated for sexual and domestic violence over the past five years, including 185 for sexual assault or child sex offences, while the actual number could be much higher.
Shadow Police Minister David Southwick, who last year called for peaceful protesters to be jailed for holding a banner saying “Jews hate freedom”, said he supported lower entry standards for the police.
“Any measure that removes unnecessary barriers to a career in policing is a step in the right direction,” he told the Herald Sun last month.
“There is now no excuse left for Labor to allow the 1,000 frontline officer vacancies to remain ongoing and the 43 stations across Victoria to remain closed.”
Header image: Left, Victoria Police PSO graduates in January. Right, Victoria Police staff celebrate “Trans Day of Visibility” on Monday (Facebook).
