A no-confidence vote by rank-and-file members of Victoria Police against the state’s top cop made his position untenable, according to the premier.
Jacinta Allan and Police Minister Anthony Carbines faced a barrage of questions on Monday following chief commissioner Shane Patton’s immediate resignation the previous night.
Ms Allan thanked Mr Patton for his “long and distinguished” service but said the overwhelming vote could simply not be ignored as it sent a very clear message that police members were looking for a fresh start.
“The voice of police members was heard very, very clearly,” Ms Allan told reporters.
The vote triggered numerous confidential conversations with senior government officials at the weekend, resulting in Mr Patton’s resignation, she said.
Mr Carbines, who only weeks ago hinted Mr Patton’s contract would be renewed in mid-2025, said the “unprecedented” vote of no confidence could not be ignored.
Mr Patton issued a statement at 10pm on Sunday, announcing he would step away from the role “effective immediately”.
“It is with a heavy heart that I have made this decision, however I think it is the right one to allow fresh leadership in the role,” he said in a statement.
Of the 14,571 Police Association members who took part in the online ballot, more than 12,600 – or 87 per cent – did not have confidence he could lead and manage Victoria Police in the future.
After triggering the events leading to Mr Patton’s resignation, police union secretary Wayne Gatt thanked him for his service and said the association would now continue fighting to address issues impacting the force, its members and the community.
Victoria’s opposition leader, and former police officer, Brad Battin said a change of leadership wouldn’t resolve the systemic issues plaguing law and order in the state.
Victoria’s Emergency Management Commissioner Rick Nugent will step into the role “as soon as practicable” until a replacement is chosen.
Deputy Commissioner Wendy Steendam AM will lead the organisation in the meantime.
Both are considered as potential replacements.
Mr Patton started as a police cadet in 1978 and went on to lead the force through significant challenges, including the COVID-19 lockdowns.
The state’s top cop had gone to ground since initially vowing to stay on after the union no-confidence vote passed on Friday.
For more than a year, the force has been embroiled in a bitter pay battle, including Mr Patton unsuccessfully applying to the Fair Work Commission to intervene.
The saga has led to more than a dozen stop-work actions and members rejecting a deal agreed to by their own union, The Police Association of Victoria.
A revised pay deal is set to be put to a vote.
Mr Patton said policing was a “fantastic job, rewarding, challenging” that he would “miss immensely”.
Former chief commissioners Reg Jackson (1971-77) and Mick Miller (1977-87) had no-confidence votes passed against them during their tenures but survived.
Christine Nixon quit as head of the state’s bushfire recovery authority following admissions she – as chief commissioner in 2009 left the state control centre and went out to dinner after being told people could die in the Black Saturday bushfires.
Her successor Simon Overland resigned in 2011, hours after an ombudsman’s report found he was solely responsible for releasing misleading and inconsistent crime statistics before the 2010 state election.
Ms Nixon said Mr Patton’s decision to step aside was right, but acknowledged there probably was an element of him being made a scapegoat for the government’s crime problems.
“There is a whole range of people who have share this proportion of the blame,” she said.
“The government’s got a portion of it, Shane has and I also think the union.”
WHO IS SHANE PATTON?
* His journey to Victoria’s highest rank started as a young country kid wanting to move to the big city, signing up to the police cadets as a 16-year-old in 1978
* He spent time stationed at Brunswick, Coburg and Prahran but said his time at Melbourne’s busiest police station in St Kilda shaped his love of community policing
* Worked as a first responder, detective, prosecutor, ethical standards investigator and transit officer and helped set up Counter Terrorism Command
* Worked as chief of staff for two police commissioners, Simon Overland and Ken Lay
* Famously spoke out when former boss Mr Overland told a royal commission into police informants he didn’t keep a diary, with Mr Patton telling the inquiry he personally packed those diaries into storage
* Was appointed deputy commissioner of specialist operations in 2015 and oversaw the creation of Counter Terrorism Command, later working as deputy commissioner for regional operations in 2018
* He was the state emergency response co-ordinator during the Hazelwood mine fires and other significant emergencies, including the 2019-20 bushfire campaign
* When appointed chief commissioner in June 2020, he was also undertaking a law degree
KEY MOMENTS OF HIS TENURE
* Became chief commissioner in June 2020 in the thick of the COVID-19 pandemic and the fallout of the hotel quarantine debacle
* Led Victoria Police by enforcing strict lockdown rules and dealing with fiery anti-lockdown protests, with the police response later described by County Court judge Liz Gaynor as unlawful and unjustified
* The violent underworld fight for control of the illegal tobacco industry has been a constant fixture during Mr Patton’s tenure, with more than 100 arsons making headlines in the past two years
* Youth crime has also been in the spotlight since Victoria emerged from COVID lockdowns, with stories of groups of teens, many of them out on bail, rampaging through the state in stolen cars
WHY DID HE STEP DOWN?
* An 18-month-long pay dispute with the rank and file did little to shore up a second term, despite government assurances in early February that the top job likely wouldn’t be advertised
* Members in July 2024 rejected a pay deal, agreed upon in-principal by the police union, that would have introduced nine-hour shifts and a 16 per cent pay rise across four years
* In November, Mr Patton applied to the Fair Work Commission to intervene in their industrial dispute but the request was refused
* On Friday, the majority of union members declared no confidence in his leadership
* At 10pm on Sunday, Victoria Police sent out a statement from Mr Patton to media outlets announcing his immediate resignation
HAVE PAST CHIEF COMMISSIONERS BEEN OUSTED?
* Former chief commissioners Reg Jackson (1971-77) and Mick Miller (1977-87) had no-confidence votes passed against them during their tenures but survived
* Christine Nixon quit as head of the state’s bushfire recovery authority after admissions she – as chief commissioner in 2009 – left the state control centre and went out to dinner after being told people could die in the Black Saturday bushfires
* Her successor Simon Overland resigned in 2011, hours after an ombudsman’s report found he was solely responsible for releasing misleading and inconsistent crime statistics
* Former top cop Graham Ashton stepped down at the end of his five-year tenure in 2020 after deciding against seeking a further term, with Mr Patton picked as his replacement
Source: AAP
