We love it doing a segment called Probe the Pope, where we're joined by different officers of different areas of the Victorian Police. But today we got the top cart.
Jason Lawrence, Croo.
Shane Patten, Welcome to the show. Good morning, Good.
Morning morning, Jason, morning Lauren. I have never heard that music in my life.
I greet you when you roll into work police.
No, but I think i'll start. It's not a bad way to be greeted.
Just very quickly true or false? Chief Commissioner Popo? You didn't know what popo meant?
Yeah, I've got to get out more, obviously.
No.
My media director the other day was speaking to me about Pope and she said, oh, they're all talking about this is what's popo?
And just anyway, I've got to get out more.
Have a think about rebuking the song the po po shut us down down, different demographic.
Maybe look at a rebrand on the cop carts, take off police, put on paper. Hey Shane, we appreciate your time, mate, We know you an incredibly busy man. First issue we want to talk about you've been leading the news with it this morning.
Cramp and West. Shane Patton, the Constable one of your own recovering in hospital after he was allegedly stabbed while responded to an agberg an Agberg which apparently wasn't an agberg as it turns out.
Yeah, yeah, really upsetting.
Obviously, we had a unit responded in Creanbourne West last night after five I think it was the responding to a call of a burglary that had been committed there. We'll be alleging the person who actually reported the burglary then committed an attack on one of our officers and stabbed.
Them in thigh.
And how what was this book?
The alleged defenders around eighteen I think, and the constable involved. Fortunately, you know, they drew their firearms, accorded on him to drop the knife and he did, and then obviously the rest of the troops turned up and.
We took him.
Our member went to hospital. Still in hospital with an injury to the thigh. He's in a stable condition. But it just goes to show there is no such thing as a routine response in policing, not at all.
And hats after all the work the Victorian police do. Mate, It's incredible the job you guys do. Unfortunately, this just seems to be a story we're hearing quite often youth crime in Melbourne. We're frustrated hearing about it. Are you frustrated catching these offenders and then seeing them back out on the streets.
Oh?
Look, we look after what we can look after the last crime statistics, and whenever I talk about statistics, they're not just statistics, they're people. And I want to acknowledge that we charged over around sixty eight thousand people last rolling twelve months. We in the last year of charged fifteen hundred people related to aggravated burglaries and theft of car at night, those sneaking aggravated burglaries.
It's a key focus for us.
Which is my biggest fear. I've got three young kids in the house. I'm absolutely paranoid about it. But then we see these people. I think we're sick of hearing re offenders, reoffenders, reoffenders. Where is the breakdown? Is it the courts?
Well, there's a couple of things there, Joseph, I can step through. We had a recent change and amendment in the legislation, so that aggravated burglary if you get done for that or that's high and offending.
Now I think it's going to come in the next week or two or whatever.
It'll be coming to Royal Assent, whereby.
We'll be able to.
Take a much more forward leaning approach to reminding people who need to be reminded, who at risk of committing these things.
Way, someone breaking into my house when I got three young kids there needs to be locked up full stop.
Yeah, and I would agree with you.
And so that's the approach we'll be taking, will be making sure that we remind as many people who are committing these high and fences can be So that's a good thing that will be occurring. We think that'll make a real difference in what's been going on in terms of that aggravated burglary. Can I just say, and I don't say this to try and minimize it, but the vast majority of these are sneak in aggravator burglaries at night.
It's over ninety five percent of them. There's no confrontation, but to have your house violated is absolutely horrendous.
That's why we're so focused on it.
Yeah, it's terrifying, but I mean Melbournians are so frustrated, right and I feel for the police because you guys do such an amazing job, and we see things like what happened last night where our police force and our police officers are putting their lives on the line to
catch these guys. Do you feel like you're just banging your head against a wall when you do all the work, you catch them, You sit there doing all the paperwork, and then you find out they're back out on the streets the next day.
Yeah.
Sentencing and all of those matters have always been a matter for the courts lur and it's something that you know, even since I was a constable, which is some time I go back now, it's always been a concern for my members, for myself. But you can control what you can control, and that is we'll keep locking them up, we'll keep charging, and we are having huge successes in terms of the arrest. We know predominantly who these offenders are.
And I think, as I said, those legislative changes that are coming in for people charge with the aggravated burglary, that dangerous driving where if they're an unacceptable risk of committing another offense they go in, that's what I think that's going to be a real big change that's going to occur here.
Do you think it will actually help.
I just want to say, I don't think we're questioning the work you guys do it because, if anything, we're frustrated for the police. The amount of work you guys are putting in is a lot of the And you might not be able to comment on this, but a lot of the reason these kids are back on the streets around jails fault is that the problem.
No, no, jails aren't full, youth justice isn't full. Courts have.
A difficult balancing act, a difficult balancing act. No one wants to be locking up kids, but some kids who are committing those highing defenses need to be remanded and have their issues.
Obviously there's also an issue of rehabilitation, right.
But obviously, obviously the fear isn't there. If I'm an eighteen year old kid and I'm out with my mates and we're looking at a househould we bloody go iman mw. Obviously the fear isn't.
Part of this justice reform, which is just past the Upper House in Victorian Parliament, also includes the potential for ankle bracelets, I believe as well.
Yeah, there's a whole what will be the term raft of reforms that the governments bring in. One of them is looking at a trial where they put ankle bracelets on fifty kids who otherwise might might have had any bail conditions, or otherwise they might have gone in, but to geofence them at home sort of thing overnight that'll come in in due course. That's another good initiative to look at to see where that makes a difference. But we do work with government where we have a lot
of input in relation to legislative reforms. And as I said, this most recent one we think real positive. But it's getting that balance right. It's the primary thing has to be about community safety. There has to be about people feeling safe and being safe.
Do you think these kids are too protected? Because I know we've all got rights and we all get treated the same way. But if you if you offend time and time and time again, surely you lose some of those same rights that law abiding citizens.
Have absolutely naurn.
And I think I think we'll start and see that now emerging with these new bail reforms, that community safety is primacy and time and time and time again will mean that people should have bail refused.
Just a quick one. Shane Patton Jack's Law is a law that's passed in Queensland. I think it's a good one. Retailer is liable now for the sale of knives to minors. Does something similar exists here in Victoria?
Do you know?
Because knife crime is unfortunately on the increase.
It may feel that way, It's actually not right it. It's remained pretty stable here, but nonetheless we are seeing significant injuries and we're seeing more young people carry knives, and it's a real area focus for us. I mean, it seems every second time we apprehend someone they've got a large knife or a small machete or something like that. But the law is they can't be sold to mine as It's as simple as that.
And you can when.
You say you can't tell the night like are we talking like can I a seventeen year old go in a big w and by a cut reset or are we talking more like hunting knives and stuff?
Yeah, we're talking.
We're talking hunting knives, we're talking machetes, controlled weapons at a hunting store. But the reality is there are significant penalties that you can get put in jail for up to a year for having a controlled weapon in public if you've got no excuse to have it, and that's a knife.
Shane Melbournians are scared. My friends are scared. My friends with kids, friends who park their cars in their driveways are scared. What can we do to protect ourselves and to keep our homes safe because people are going to bed at night terrified.
You got a spare set a cuff chicken through me, not fuffy.
I'm not going to touch that.
No.
On a serious note, we know that when these young kids, when we're apprehending them generally young kids, and they've been out and they've been involved in these sneaking aggravatord burglaries.
And this is not about victim blaming.
Let me say that with a cavet that they move along the street until they actually find an open door, an open window, or go through an open garage. So it's the simple things. First of all. It's just making sure you know your gates locked, your doors are locked, and that sort of thing, and generally speaking, that will be enough to deter someone coming in.
We had a couple of blokes jumping the fence at our place recently and ransacked my car and I was talking to the cops that attended the scene afterwards, and I was saying, you know what about cameras, are they deterring kids these days? And the cops that I was chatting to were like, to be honest, it's more sensor lights and stuff that light up the front yard and then deter them to go somewhere else.
And dogs knocking dogs.
Yeah, nosolutely.
Dogs sense like when someone's disturbed, generally speaking, they'll run and move on to the next place or whatever.
I mean.
Cameras are a good thing as well. It allows us to identify who they.
Are, but it's just doing the basics.
I mean, it's it's terrible that, as you say, Lauren, that people feel that way, but I understand it given the significant amount of these sneak and aggravated burglars we've had. I've said this many times, but I think it's important to say it again. We are throwing everything we can at this Operation Trinity. Over the last year, we've arrested, you know, around fifteen hundred offenders for these aggravated burglaries and related theft of motor car. Our Earwing's out there
each night. Dog Squad, Public Order Response Team Detectives, uniform members and generally we'll have the air wing up and we will apprehend these these offenders generally most of the time.
I've got no doubt, no doubt, you guys are doing an unbelievable job, and I think that's obviously the big issue is the court system. But if you think that these changes are going to help them, hopefully that helps us all With.
We're on the air with Police Commissioner Shane Patton this morning. Shane, if you can hang around, We've got to take a quick break, but we've got a few more things for you. We are probing the Popo this morning. That's Police Shane here on. No officers ever get star struck. If you go through an RBT the window goes down, they're like, oh jeezkod a, boss. You know how it works.
I actually did a couple of months ago. I was helping someone move and just wheeling through in a ute or whatever and got pushed in and the window came down and they've gone hi, boss, Boss. I said hi, and just one deep breath, the hand went through the window.
It's okay.
Yeah, you're in more trouble if you let me go.
Yeah, we're going to do a Chief commission We've got a call on the line. Nicole from Mount Waverley. Good morning to you. You're on the line with the Chief commission You got a.
Question hybrid morning two. Commissioner. How are you doing?
Good morning to Carl. I'm doing well, that's good.
I just had a question. Understand that this aggravated burglaries are quite the common place at the moment. What are your thoughts on maybe some sort of reverse bychology or an ad campaign that says to the purpose, Hey, you know, you enter at your own risk, but everybody has a right to defend their homes and their families.
Well, the common question, I reckon you'd hear a lot is what can we do in the house to protect ourselves here?
Thanks to Colin and Jase, I think that's probably the better point. Yeah, obviously from our point of view, we say avoid confrontation.
Absolutely. I don't know if this is the right thing to do, but now I leave the car keys near the front door. Well yeah, with the notes saying enjoy.
Yeah, there's a couple of things there.
I mean, so avoid the confrontation if someone breaks in, if you can go to a safe area and just call the police and let us deal with it right. If you are confronted though, and you're not a position to do that, obviously you can act to defend yourself solong it's proportionate and what you're doing in relation to the threat that occurs.
I know that you know what. I'll be honest. I've had this conversation with people before. Right someone broke in, I found some blake in one of my kids bedrooms, I'd go to town. I would go to town until they are out on the floor, and then I know what you're saying. Then it's got to be in proportion. But I'll tell you what. I wouldn't want him getting up in that room.
And that's why you know, I can't sit here and say what you can and can't do other than it has to be, you know, proportionate to the response that you're facing and the threat you're facing.
And we all perceive threats differently. That's the reality.
Someone's in your child's bedroom.
Oh, I'm going to town, And there are all the factors you take into account. But as I said, each circumstance is different. In regards to the keys, the main thing I would say is don't leave them so that if someone was walking past the window they could see them.
Yeah, you don't want to be inviting people to come in.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, But I've got friends who are leaving their keys in their car. If they've got a car in a driveway that you can see so you know it's a luxury car, it's in the driveway. Not every house has huge gates or undercover garage, and they leave their keys in the car because they would rather these people drive away in their car than break into their house to get the keyscourage to risk of their family getting hurt.
Yeah.
I'm not an advocate of that one, Lauren, and I understand to a degree why they would do that. But you should be locking your car, if you lock your doors, you lock your windows, and just take the normal steps that people would stay take. Most of the time, they're going to move on and go to a different house.
Are you shocked by the amount of home invasions that occur on homes that weren't actually locked in the first place.
I was, I'm not anymore because we keep banging on about it, and it's not to blame people for doing it.
No, No, it's surprising how many people don't their I'm isn't it always at each other about it. I don't care if it's two o'clock in the afternoon. Lock the bloody door.
It blows my mind.
I don't know how you could feel safe going yeh, knowing if someone could walk along the street and come in and you know what, I'm sah, and it blows my mind.
Shane Patton's on the morning. Sorry, Lesko, just quickly.
Is Melbourne a safe place to live?
Yeah? It is? It is.
It is really an amazingly safe place to live, and which may seem sort of strange when we're having this discussion about aggravated burglars and people sneaking and at night, but when you compare it to other jurisdictions around the world, you compare it to other jurisdictions in Australia, we are really well placed. By and large, it is a very very safe place to live and work. And you know it's I think that's all I can say to you.
By and large, that is the case. Have we got issues, absolutely, I'm not in denial about that.
I was about to say, there's a caller sitting on hold at the moment who would probably disagree with you. We're on the air with Shane Patten, Police Commissioner. This morning, we're going to go to Imagine Dragons and come back with one last chat next Jason Lawrence Crove. Very special morning. We don't normally spend this long, but we've got the top cop in here this morning. Commissioner Shane Patton, thanks
so much for hanging out with us this morning. We'll let you go because we know you're a extremely busy man. Do you still cruise around Mark copp car? Have you got little flags on the front being the top cop or anything.
There's no presidential type thing.
I get out about though each now and then, like each three or four months, when I can, I get out and do a patrol with someone I was out standing on the other week, just to keep in touch with reality as well and what the members are feeling and experiencing.
Realizes how how much pressure they're under. That's good. I like that.
But are you in a normal police car like when you drove into Nova this morning? If you saw someone pick up their mobile phone, for instance, are you like sirens on?
Pull them over?
Here's his gold I saw it parked out the front.
It's an un marked car, but it has sirens and yeah, all the things.
Should be able to use, all the bells and whistles.
All the buttons. That's all we wanted to know to get the sirens and the buttons.
Yeah, thirteen twenty fourteen is our number to join us on the air. We've had a lot of calls from people who.
Are unfortunate calls.
Yeah, have been victims of youth crime here in Melbourne. Cash, good morning, Good morning. What was your situation?
So last year it was around Good Friday, Easter holidays. My partner and our friends we went to the pancakes parlor and we're walking back to the car and up ahead we see a young guy with the machete and he was aiming towards us and chasing us for.
Us, now, directions and what time this is during the day.
This was around eight thirty nine o'clock at night, yeah, right, and we were running back inside. I quickly saw the security guard and told him to quickly bring the police. And obviously with the shopping center at night, a lot of places were closed, so we didn't know where to go. And the young excuse me, the young managed to run towards us, but he was exhausted in the end because we realized he was in chased by like a drug dealer or some baby guy.
Like this stuff doesn't surprise you though, that's happening on the streets, like at eight thirty at night, just in the burbs.
No, no, it doesn't surprise me, but I think importantly And thanks for sharing that, Tash. I mean, obviously very upsetting experience for yourself. But often we see that these parties are known to each other, and as Tash alluded to, there there's a drug dealer involved with someone else. It's we do have random attacks, so I won't hide that, but often parties are known to each other when they're engaging in you know, warring groups and things like that.
But any incident is obviously not an acceptable No, not at all.
That's the most frightening though. When I hear it's a random attack, that scares Yeah.
Which is why we focus in the city and have extra numbers there and out in patrol and visible.
We'll keep doing what we can.
It's a real focus for us, Shane.
Have we got enough?
Have we got enough in the police force? I know we had some recruits in the other day who said they've recently joined the police force and they love it. How numbers going in the police force because it seems like quite a scary job.
It's a great job. It can have its moment. So like anything, we are still recruiting heavily. So this is a fantastic Segwe thank you, Lauren. We are wanting people to apply and join right now. We still have we're around, you know, six or seven hundred below what we should be because post COVID no one could go on holidays. You know, we had, you know, all this mass retirement. Because people have this superannuation. They want to go traveling,
put and go anywhere. So we are trying to recruit heavily.
At the moment.
We had like an amazing job.
Mature age recruits in a couple of weeks ago. The only thing this is a suggestion. You guys are running it pretty well there, but just a suggestion. Shane, So I know you finished the academy. You normally get posted sometimes in a regional station. I've actually you've got a couple of mates who would be in their thirties who would be open to looking at the police force. But they sit there and go I've already got two kids, I can't relocate my family for two years to a
regional town. No exactly. That's moving kids' schools and stuff like that. Is there any way you could look at, you know, for mature age officers that want to get into it, not relocating families regionally.
Yeah, it's a good point, you know what I mean.
Yeah, we call it the ballot or whatever, where you might get vested somewhere up the country where you didn't want to get to.
But that's the reason that's holding them back from the hand up.
I'd never so I've taken something out of coming here this morning, not that I haven't before this, but in terms of whether we actually segment like a mature age recruit and say well, we will make an exception for you because you're a circumstance of different.
I've literally got two mates that are dead man on the police force. But that is the one thing that's holding them back. Their partners are like, Babe, we can't pull the kids out of school and move to Shepherdon.
Already.
It's an area we're constantly looking at, and we have a range of exemptions that can apply in all of those things, but certainly from mature age that's something that I hadn't thought through, so you can.
I ask about one very small issue, and that is scooters in the city. Where do you sit on scooters? Because I know the Lord Mayor has in fact decided to outlaw them.
I don't sit on scooter.
No.
No, We've seen a lot of injuries from We have a real lot of injuries from them, a lot of non compliance and everything like that. So there matters for government and the Lord Mayor. But I'm not worried about the fact that he's banning them.
Okay, right in your mind, you it's going to make me a bit easier for you.
Well, we've seen I think you know, we've had a lot of the major hospitals saying this, saying a lot of injuries arise from accidents.
A final question, do you sit down on the couch and watch RBT? Do you like watching That's Man the Night?
No, I watch garbageish in English cop shows.
All right, you know what, let's sit down with shamee one. Right, you're right, Clint and watch RBT and c if Shane can pick it over runder. Yeah, just positive.
Thanks for having me, really appreciate it was good fun. But just before I head off. I think congratulations in order, aren't they. You're the number one ranking breakfast show on FM, is it?
Thank you, Shane.
We're were shocked as you are.
What is it that seems the product was better?
Thank you mate, he's good.
He got the dig in at the end. Thanks and his arms.
So the old can't come after it. Honestly, we really made it. We we love doing the popos. The Victorian Police doing our standing job and we met some great members of the force. So thanks for the work you guys do.
Mate, Thank you everything you do.
It's police yeah poo, I've got the music to thank you.
Jane Patton, Chief po POE officer in Victoria. Join us on the air here at.
Nob Jason Lauren Jason Lauren Wake Up Feeling Good on number one hundred.
Jason Lauren, Bollygod on socials.