Chief Commissioner Shane Patton will lose his job after a bruising no-confidence vote by rank and file officers.
Chief Commissioner Shane Patton will lose his job after a bruising no-confidence vote by rank and file officers.
By John Silvester and Ashleigh McMillan
February 15, 2025 — 12.06pm
Police Chief Commissioner Shane Patton will lose his job as Victoria’s top cop after a bruising no-confidence vote by rank and file officers on Friday.
After 4½ years in the top job, Patton’s contract was up for renewal in June, and the chief commissioner had been seeking another five-year term.
But a source close to negotiations but not authorised to comment publicly confirmed on Saturday that Patton would not remain in the role.
In a ballot of 14,000 police officers on Friday, 87 per cent said they had lost faith in the state’s highest-ranking officer.
After Friday’s union vote, Patton immediately dismissed the Police Association of Victoria’s calls for him to resign, saying his commitment had “not wavered”.
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He conceded crime rates had surged under his watch, but said there was no “silver bullet”.
“This result is obviously disappointing on a personal front,” Patton said in response to Friday’s no-confidence vote.
Police Minister Anthony Carbines said on Friday a process was under way for the role of chief commissioner, and it would be inappropriate to comment further.
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“We acknowledge the result of the vote by [the Police Association of Victoria] and its members, and we value the hard work that our police officers and PSOs do every day in keeping Victorians safe,” Carbines said on Friday.
On Saturday, the state government refused to comment further.
The union vote against Patton came amid long delays in negotiating a new enterprise bargaining agreement for members, problems with morale and staff retention, and a perception that force command had failed to adequately respond to rising rates of youth crime.
The new pay deal, to be put to members for formal approval in the next fortnight, would give frontline police officers a 5 per cent annual pay increase over the next four years, while non-frontline officers would receive a 4.5 per cent wage increase.
A spokeswoman for Victoria Police had no comment and referred this masthead to the government.
More to come
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John Silvester is a columnist.Connect via email.
Ashleigh McMillan is a breaking news reporter at The Age.Connect via Twitter or email.
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