New Victorian police chief Mike Bush says people should be free to protest without permits

Australia Broadcast Center

6 days ago

Victoria does not need a permit system for protests, says the state's new top cop, who concedes there has been a breakdown in public confidence in police.
In his first wide-ranging interview since joining Victoria Police, Chief Commissioner Mike Bush acknowledged Victorians felt less safe and declared "there's too much crime out there".
The chief commissioner's arrival comes at a tumultuous time for Victoria Police, with crime at its highest rate since 2016 and an ongoing tobacco war that has seen 140 firebombings.
Public confidence has also been at a 14-year low, with just 61.9 per cent of people having confidence in the police, far short of the force's 82 per cent target.
"The data would definitely say that, and we've got to accept what the data tells us," Mr Bush said of the breakdown in public confidence.
"We must be operationally excellent — whether we're preventing crime, responding to crime, investigating crime, resolving crime."
Mr Bush is a 42-year police veteran of New Zealand Police.
He ultimately became commissioner of the force, implementing a landmark crime-prevention policing model that included diversions and warnings for low-level offending.
"We are, right now, considering our whole policing approach. I'm very keen to bring those things in, that's what the public deserve," he said.
"Prevention is not a soft way of policing, it's just the right way, but we've got to do everything else too so responding is important, investigating and resolving is important. It's about getting the order right."
The new chief commissioner told the ABC he did not support a permit system for protests, a measure debated in Victoria and already operating in New South Wales.
"We've had a look to see if it will be effective, where we've landed is that it's not worth bringing in," he said.
There has been significant public debate about protests in recent years, from the predominantly peaceful weekly marches in support of the Palestine community to anti-lockdown rallies and violent Land Forces protests.
Shocked diners also watched on as protesters converged on an Israeli restaurant in Melbourne's CBD earlier this month, with tables and chairs thrown and a glass door damaged.
Mr Bush addressed what he described as "polarisation" in the community, saying those with "an extreme view one way or the other are getting more extreme".
He said the line between activism and extremism was "quite possibly" being blurred.
"If we talk about public protest, absolutely," he said.
"If you feel strongly about something, we are there to keep you safe while you demonstrate that.
"But what we don't want is extreme behaviour that challenges the safety of other people — not just their physical safety but their feelings of safety.
Mr Bush added: "It's only a minority but we should not tolerate the behaviour of that minority."
Victoria Police has received independent legal advice that indicated the controversial chant "Death to the IDF" was not an offence.
Mr Bush was also unequivocal when asked by the ABC if the chant amounted to hate speech.
"No," he said.
It came after former Victorian governor Linda Dessau called the phrase "totally unacceptable" and "hate speech" and Premier Jacinta Allan deferred to police when asked last week whether the chant was illegal.
Under pressure to act on youth crime, the Allan government earlier this year announced a law reform package that included tougher bail conditions and a ban on machetes.
It has also backed down from its pledge to raise the age of criminal responsibility to 14 — a move Mr Bush's predecessor opposed.
Mr Bush would not say whether he supported raising the age but acknowledged there were limits to prevention-led policing.
"The bottom line is, we don't want to see young people in prison, but some need to be there to protect the public," he said.
The latest crime statistics show there were an extra 92,000 offences recorded in Victoria in the year to March, a 17 per cent jump from the same period last year.
Youth crime also spiked to its highest level since records began, with children over-represented in home invasions and aggravated burglaries.
Mr Bush was also asked about the state's ongoing tobacco wars, which has seen 140 firebombings by Middle Eastern crime factions trying to seize control of the illicit tobacco and vape market.
He would not say whether it was a mistake for the federal government to have deported alleged tobacco kingpin, Kazem Hamad, who his own force has identified as being linked to a deadly arson which mistakenly killed Melbourne woman Katie Tangey.
Police believe Hamad, who is now believed to be in Baghdad, is a key player in the tobacco wars who has orchestrated firebombings on his rivals or shop owners who refuse to pay exorbitant extortion fees.
"I'm not going to talk about individuals," Mr Bush said.
"But I will say on that subject that we have excellent international law enforcement, collaboration and cooperation and we use those partnerships and networks when we don't have a presence overseas."
Mr Bush acknowledged tensions were high not only in the community but also among his own rank-and-file officers who have reported low-levels of morale and high rates of attrition.
The rank-and-file made their displeasure known in February when officers passed a resounding no-confidence vote in former Chief Commissioner Shane Patton, who ultimately resigned.
It followed a protracted pay dispute between the Police Association of Victoria and the Victorian government.
Mr Bush said senior police leaders had to "own" the mood among his members.
"We've also got to remove things that get in their way, the things that frustrate them, bureaucracy, too much paperwork," he said.
He committed to upgrading technology for his officers in the next 12 months, who he said were being hamstrung by red tape.
"I'm not going to be embarrassed to say that the New Zealand police are a long way ahead," he said.
"We've agreed to partner up to actually not just learn from them, but they're quite prepared to share all of their platforms and technology with us."
The Police Association of Victoria has previously said its members have a stake in Mr Bush's success.
"He's regarded as a leader who listens to his troops, who connects with community, and has been known to prioritise prevention as the greatest weapon against crime," secretary Wayne Gatt said.
"We think, given the challenges we currently face in policing in this state, that these virtues will be invaluable in the fight to win back Victoria."