It's time for - The Police Association Victoria

Preserving the
good reputation
of our PSOs
"I object to our Protective Service Officers
being referred to as armed guards.
They are not gun-toting sheriffs from
Tombstone Arizona."
> Greg DAVIes
With those words Secretary
Greg Davies spoke out in
defence of the PSOs − those
respected members who
wear the white shirts and
patrol the law courts, public buildings and
the Shrine of Remembrance.
The PSOs began operational duties in May
1988, because of the need for a specialist
security unit following the Russell Street
bombing in 1986.
Today 138 PSOs are deployed at the law
courts in Melbourne and six metropolitan
areas plus the VPC, St Kilda Road Police
Complex, Parliament House, Treasury,
the Shrine of Remembrance and
121 Exhibition Street.
The Baillieu government’s plans to introduce
another 940 PSOs to be deployed on railway
stations from 6.00pm until the last train
12 Protect Represent Support. www.tpav.org.au
have been met with some negative reaction
in Victoria.
"What we don’t want to see is the standards
dropping. We don’t want to see bouncers
thrown into PSO uniforms and put on railway
stations in the middle of the night. This
would be an inefficient and ineffective way of
dealing with the problem," says Greg Davies.
"The Police Association welcomes the
government’s aim to make our public
transport system safer for commuters.
"There is no doubt that there will be logistical
challenges in the recruiting, training,
deployment and supervision of (Transit)
PSOs, but that should not stop the effort to
make railway stations safer."
Ill-informed media commentators have been
voicing concerns that PSOs are armed.
What they don’t realise, or refuse to
accept, is that PSOs undergo exactly
the same firearms, defence tactics and
drill training as their police colleagues.
There are PSOs qualified as DT and
firearms trainers and both are currently
instructing at the Academy.
The PSOs currently undergo nine weeks'
training. The first week they share the
classrooms with Victoria Police Force
recruits. They then split into their own
training courses.
Once they graduate, the PSOs undergo
a further two-weeks training within the
Protective Services Division. They are then
on probation for 12 months. During this
time they are rotated through three or four
different deployments. At the end of the
probationary period, if they are assessed as
suitable their appointment is confirmed.
"This extensive training has ensured that
throughout their more than two decades
of service, PSOs have always demonstrated
competent and responsible use of firearms
and OC," says Greg Davies.
"They are operational members, they just
have different tasks in the operational
arena," says Inspector Geoff Darlison,
their OC. "They are there to provide
protection and security."
In the 23 years they have been operating
the PSOs have never had to remove their