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V I C T O R I A P O L I C E

Victoria Police was formed in 1853 and now it has 12 190 officers and 400 recruits in 393 stations police stations.



History

When first created, Victoria Police had 875 policemen and the first Chief Commissioner William Henry Fancourt Mitchell. Their first major challenge was the Eureka Stockade in 1854, where the police were too brutal and the opinion of the public turned against them. Too add insult to injury, all the miners charged with treason were acquitted. Also in 1854, there was a new Chief Commissioner and Victoria Police suffered its first casualty, Constable William Hogan.

In the following decades, two police stations were built: Russell Street Police Station in 1859 and a station on William Street to protect the Royal Mint. In 1878, three more officers (Kennedy, Lonigan and Scanlan) were killed in the line of duty by the Kelly Gang and two years later, in 1880, Victoria Police confronted Ned Kelly's Gang at the Glenrowan Inn and captured him. Also in 1880, the Aboriginal Tracker Corps were formed, but were broken apart in 1968.

In 1888 a manual for Police was made by Senior Constable John Barry and it is still used today. Police Officers were also granted the right to vote. A year later the Victoria Police Valor Award was introduced and three years after that police officers could apply for a Police pension.

There was a strike in 1923 by the Victoria Police because of a new supervisory system. There was also a riot because of the strike, which led to the Melbourne CBD being looted. The officer that were in the strike were not employed again but their efforts did increase pay and conditions for Victoria Police. Victoria Police remains the only Australian Police Department to ever go on strike.

In 1986, a Holden Commodore with a bomb inside drove into the Russell Street Police Station and detonated. The blast caused approximately more than a million dollars worth of damage and seriously injured Constable Angela Taylor, who later died in hospital. She became the first female officer killed in action. Twenty two other officers were injured. The Russell Street station has closed down and been converted to apartments.

In 2001, Christine Nixon was elected Chief Commissioner becoming the first woman to head an Australian Police force. In 2003, Simon Overland, who was the Assistant Commissioner then, started Taskforce Purana which investigated the Melbourne Gangland Killings. In 2009, after it was announced that the Black Saturday bush fires were deliberately lit, Chief Commissioner Christine Nixon started the Taskforce Phoenix to investigate the victims of the disaster.

Also in 2009, Chief Commissioner Christine Nixon resigned and Simon Overland was promoted to the role of Chief Commissioner. Simon resigned in June of 2011 and Ken Lay was chosen as acting Chief Commissioner and in November 2011 he was promoted to Chief Commissioner.

Ranks and Awards

There are quite a few ranks to progress through Victoria Police. The first rank is Constable, which all officers start off at. The next rank is Senior Constable followed by Leading Senior Constable. Sergeant and Senior Sergeant are next. All positions after Sergeant are based on merit. These positions includes Inspector, Chief Inspector, Superintendent, Chief Superintendent, Commander, Assistant Commander, Deputy Commissioner and the top job, Chief Commissioner.

Numerous awards are handed out in Victoria Police, some for valor, some for bravery, merit and some for loyalty. Medals awarded for displaying these qualities are the Victorian Police Valor award, Victoria Police Medal for Excellence,Victoria Police Medal for Courage and the Victoria Police Medal for Merit. There are also medals for log service, like the Victoria Police Medal, which is rewarded for ten years of service and the Victoria Police Thirty Five Years Service Award which is for people who have been with them for thirty-five years.



Equipment and Transport

Victoria Police are currently using the .38 Special Smith & Wesson Model 10, but they are upgrading to the Smith & Wesson M&P. They also carry a 21 inch expandable baton, handcuffs and pepper spray.

Victoria Police have more than 2400 vehicles including choppers, motorbikes, unmarked cars and boats.

Officers Killed in Action

157 Victoria Police officers have been killed in action. The most recent officer killed in action was Ann Brimblecombe, who died when she lost control of her car and drove into a tree. Te earliest recorded officer killed in action was Edward Gray, who drowned in a fast flowing river.

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