Fat, unfit cops denied salary increase in Victorian overhaul
Victoria's police force is struggling to cope and the police chief says it needs to radically change the way it operates, including a push for officers to stay in shape.
The Blue paper reportedly recommends police maintain 'a physical standard above that of the average member of society'.
"[It] should be set through a scientific analysis of the demands of an operational police officer," News Limited reports.
"Physical standards should be confirmed prior to progression payments, promotion, and at biannual operational tactics and safety training requalification, to ensure operational readiness."
The overhaul will also include possible volunteer officers.
The true crime rate is not reflected in what's reported and the current funding model focusing on more officers and police stations will not address the issues, a Victoria Police blue paper says.
Chief Commissioner Ken Lay said some aspects of the current model of policing had a greater connection to the 19th century than they do in meeting current community needs.
"It is clear that the current operating model for Victoria Police is struggling to cope with the unprecedented demands upon it and to meet public expectations," the blue paper says.
"Without a real transformation, it will not meet the expected growth and changes in demand for policing."
The report says demand for urgent police responses is outpacing population growth and serious and organised crime is growing rapidly and becoming increasingly national and international.
The true extent of some types of crime, particularly family violence, sexual abuse and fraud, is not reflected in reports to police.
Mr Lay said the balance of police activities must be shifted further towards prevention.
"We need to get smarter, so that we can respond to complex social issues such as family violence and drugs, and tackle crime before it happens," he said.
"But to do this, we need a much more flexible model which allows us the freedom to deploy our police members where they are needed, when they are needed."
The report says the pressures caused by rapidly increasing demand cannot be relieved by adding more resources according to traditional patterns of investment.
"Patterns of investment over the past 20 years (an almost exclusive focus on numbers of police and police stations) will not meet the challenges faced by police and the community's expectations."
Staff have historically been distributed according to population size rather than crime rates and the location of police stations often reflects a bygone era of horse-drawn transport, the report said.
The blue paper also suggests that Victoria Police use volunteers.
"Without vast increases in police numbers - on a scale that no government could contemplate - it is not possible for police to manage crime and other public safety hazards," the report said.
Victoria Police has no formal volunteer program, unlike many police organisations around the world.
"Yet given the importance of the principle that `the police are the public', and serious budget constraints, the use of volunteers in various roles is a potentially powerful means to extend the effectiveness of Victoria Police."
