Chief Commissioner’s interference with The Police Association and misallocation of police resources confirmed

Following comments made in today’s media in relation to the recent OPI hearings, The Police Association has renewed its calls for a broad-based public inquiry into corruption on matters canvassed today.

Today’s comments from Noel Ashby, if true, confirm what The Police Association has been saying for many years – the Chief Commissioner has attempted to undermine The Police Association in a bid to create a compliant union.

The continuing double-standards the Association has been subject to in the last three to four years support the claims made today  - we know that supporters of the Chief Commissioner have been rewarded with promotion and overseas deployment, while non-supporters have been disadvantaged.

Mr Mullett tried to give this information to the OPI public hearing in November but was stymied at every attempt.

Comments today also re-assert our claim that the Chief Commissioner has robbed members and communities of their front line resources and sought to conceal this from the public and The Police Association.

To the many members who are suffering from the chronic shortage of resources this news would have come as no surprise.

According to the Force’s own documentation, there’s at least 655 police missing from the frontline.

The Association has asked for an audit of police numbers and received a commitment from the government that this will happen, yet we are still waiting.

We’ve asked the OPI to investigate the matter and they’ve point-blank refused – we must ask why this was the case.

These latest revelations highlight the need for the Brumby Government to implement an open and public inquiry into these matters and create an

ICAC-style body with far-reaching powers to investigate corruption on a broader scale.

The only way this matter will be put to rest is for our members and the general public to have an opportunity to hear the full story. 

Greg Davies