By Mikayla van Loon
Industrial action reached the Yarra Ranges’ largest police station this week, as members walked off the job in solidarity with fellow officers as the pay and conditions dispute persists.
On and off duty police from Lilydale stopped work for 30 minutes as part of the intensified action which has seen hundreds of police walk out stretching from regional townships like Wodonga to the city headquarters.
Leading senior constable Peter Williams has worked at Victoria Police for 16 years, currently as the youth resource officer within the proactive policing unit, and took part in the strike action on Wednesday 4 December.
“I would say through the years I’ve been a part of VicPol there’s been two EBs where the government has not listened and not valued us, and stood back and said, ‘No, you’re getting enough. Your conditions are good enough’,” he said.
“It’s detrimental to not just us as working police members, but the community as a whole. It shows the community that we aren’t supported, and if we’re not supported, then how do we support the community?
“We have 1000 members off. We have 700 members on sick leave. When is enough enough? It gets to the point where we are all at breaking point.”
With a lack of new recruits and dwindling numbers, Leading SC Williams said this ongoing action was not only about pay but retention and welfare.
“In 1988 there were 9900 police in Victoria Police, and there were about a million people in Melbourne. Moving forward to today, they say there’s about 17,000 police, but that’s including PSOs, sometimes they include the unsworn who are not on the front lines so realistically it’s less than that.
“And then the population of Melbourne is probably about six million. We haven’t kept that in line with the population growth, so Victoria Police actually needs lots more members to address what the need is for the community and that’s not happening.”
In his view, Leading SC Williams said the potential for many more members to walk away from the job is high given the day-to-day expectations placed on them.
“I know from the time I’ve been in Victoria Police, I don’t think I’ve seen it this bad,” he said.
“If it’s not fixed quickly, then the numbers will reduce. It’ll just get worse. And my biggest fear is actually that members of the public who are potential victims will be in need of assistance and that’s not coming.
“And that’s what we’re here for, the victims.”
Leading SC Williams said from being spat on to bitten, plus overtime and unfair pay, it can make for a difficult day at work.
“The conditions we have currently and not being valued are not good enough and that needs to be addressed,” he said.
“The people who are working on the van and the members out here in the Yarra Ranges who are really community minded, really live amongst the community, are embedded in the community and spend their working hours supporting the community, need to be treated better and be given the conditions we have applied for through TPAV and the government and management should come to the party and address what our needs are.”
With pieces of the welfare puzzle missing currently, Leading SC Williams said of course the police response is lacking but if the requests of the Police Association members are met, it means the people they serve in the community get a better outcome too.
“If we have more members, we have better conditions, and we have people happier by wanting to come to work with less stress, then the community will get service delivery that we’re about, we’re in business for, hopefully, then the community will be served in a better way.”
