As members would be aware, The Police Association, on behalf of School Resource Officers and the wider Victorian school community, has been heavily campaigning for several months to retain the existing Police Schools Involvement Program which has been under threat.

It is disappointing that Force Command and the Government appear to be ignoring the many compelling reasons why the successful PSIP should continue.

The Force has advised the Association that it favours an alternative model that is not schools-based. The Association believes such a model to be fundamentally flawed as the success of the existing PSIP owes much to the fact that it is a schools-based program.

The Association has written to the Premier, Police Minister and Education Minister (and their respective shadows) and the Chief Commissioner to outline our concerns. Furthermore, the Association has notified a dispute to the Australian Industrial Relations Commission on this issue.

Meanwhile, over 200 people rallied in support of the existing PSIP at public meeting held in Geelong yesterday. The meeting, attended by SRO members and concerned members of the local school community in the Geelong region, including teachers, parents and students, spoke passionately in support of the existing program. The meeting carried the following resolutions;

THIS MEETING EXPRESSES ITS FULL SUPPORT FOR THE EXISTING POLICE SCHOOLS INVOLVEMENT PROGRAM, ITS CONTINUATION AND DEVELOPMENT."

"THIS MEETING EXPRESSES ITS OUTRAGE AT THE PROSPECT OF THE CHIEF COMMISSIONER AND THE GOVERNMENT CEASING THE EXISTING POLICE SCHOOLS INVOLVEMENT PROGRAM."

"THIS MEETING NOTES AND APPRECIATES THE MANY EXPRESSIONS OF SUPPORT FOR SRO MEMBERS AND THE EXISTING POLICE SCHOOLS INVOLVEMENT PROGRAM FROM THE WIDER COMMUNITY, INCLUDING STUDENTS, PARENTS, TEACHERS, PRINCIPALS AND MEMBERS OF THE VICTORIA POLICE FORCE."

"THIS MEETING CALLS ON THE POLICE ASSOCIATION, SCHOOLS AND THE WIDER COMMUNITY, TO CONTINUE LOBBYING THE STATE GOVERNMENT AND THE VICTORIA POLICE FORCE TO KEEP THE POLICE SCHOOLS INVOLVEMENT PROGRAM AND TO ENSURE THAT SRO MEMBERS ARE NOT REMOVED FROM THEIR EXISTING POSITIONS."

"ON THE BASIS OF THIS MEETING’S DISAPPOINTMENT IN THE CURRENT POSITION OF THE CHIEF COMMISSIONER AND THE GOVERNMENT ON THIS ISSUE, THE MEETING CALLS UPON THE POLICE ASSOCIATION TO CONSIDER FURTHER ACTION, INCLUDING THE STAGING OF A STATEWIDE PUBLIC MEETING, IF PLANS PROCEED TO ABOLISH THE EXISTING POLICE SCHOOLS INVOLVEMENT PROGRAM."

PAUL MULLETT