Victoria Police to recruit retired officers amid staffing shortfall

Victoria Police to address shortage of 1,500 staff members with reservists amid crime crisis In short: Hundreds of former police officers will return to serve as reservists to free up frontline officers around Victoria. The reservists will perform administrative office tasks, with Premier Ben Carroll vowing to staff police stations around the state more regularly. What's next? Victoria Police aims to fill a nearly 1,500 member deficit in its staffing but mid-2028. Hundreds of former Victoria Police officers will be recruited as reservists, as the police force grapples with a chronic staffing shortage and rising crime rates. The reservists will fill the equivalent of 2,000 shifts, performing administrative duties such as working at public counters in police stations and preparing evidence for court. Victoria Police Chief Commissioner Mike Bush said reducing the administrative load would allow officers to go out on the street and address crime proactively. "It will also help us to retain staff, because that's what our frontline staff want to do," Commissioner Mike Bush said. "We've got a number of things underway which will help us relieve our frontline of the burden of drowning in paperwork." Dozens of reservists were being deployed at stations in both metropolitan Melbourne and regional Victoria. Two hundred positions were due to be filled by December, with another 200 rolling out from early next year. Pauline Kostiuk is one of the reservists who will be returning to duty, after a 35-year career in uniform. The retired Superintendent said she was encouraged by the thought she could help other members, even 10 years after her own retirement. "I'd been feeling a little bit lost, but I just thought it would be a fantastic idea if I could in some way lighten the load of operational members," Sergeant Kostiuk said. "I know they work very, very hard." She said she hoped the experience coming back into the police force would open opportunities for mentoring and passing on knowledge. "The cohort that has decided to come back in this first squad is brilliant, there's so much experience there," she said. Victoria Police tries to stem flow of staffing attrition The recruitment drive comes as Victoria Police deals with a shortfall of officers across the state. The number of full time equivalent Victoria Police employees has dropped by five per cent over the past five years, despite the total population of the state growing by 7 per cent in the same time period. Chief Commissioner Bush said a multi-year process was underway to bring staffing back to appropriate levels. "We aim to be back to full profile and recruit the 1,500 odd staff we're under by the middle of 2028," he said. The drop in number of personnel has coincided with a 10 per cent jump in adult crime in 12 months, and a perceived lack of presence from Melbourne residents. Following the alleged bashing death of a shopkeeper in Sunshine in the city's west, a mayor in Melbourne's west called for an increase to police patrols and operating hours at local police stations. At some local stations in Melbourne such as Footscray Police Station, the public counter is currently only open for three days a week. Premier Ben Carroll said the recruitment of reservists would help to address the issue. "Victorians have told us they want police stations open, and when they enter a police station, someone to be there at the counter," Mr Carroll said. "We are very clear: community safety is our number one duty." Police union calls for quicker action on staffing void The Police Association of Victoria has welcomed the announcement, with secretary Wayne Gatt saying it was the first step in addressing understaffing. "It can only be seen as a positive announcement, to support what can only be described as a heavily depleted frontline during a crime crisis," Mr Gatt said. "We shouldn't lose sight of the fact though that we need to return the 1,407 vacancies we have today." But Mr Gatt said the mid-2028 timeline for a return to a full staff profile could be expedited with government assistance. "This government, or a future government, could invest to bring that period closer to today," he said. "We don't have a lot of time to wait, waiting will simply deliver us poor outcomes." [Image text:] Police Police