Victoria Police has failed to achieve its target for Indigenous employment.
In response to a question taken on notice at recent budget estimates hearing, the force confirmed that as of March 31 this year only 0.55 per cent of employees identified as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander.
The target was one per cent by June last year.
But Victoria Police pointed out background identification was voluntary and the data related to employees who had chosen to do so.
Whilst some find the information disappointing, Change the Record Co-Chair Cheryl Axleby said it's not surprising.
“Representation of First Nations peoples in all workplaces, industries and sectors is important but representation alone won’t change racist and discriminatory institutions, policies and practices," she told NITV News.
“While it’s disappointing, it is certainly not surprising that Victoria Police has failed to reach its target of one per cent First Nations employment, given its appalling track record of treatment of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples."
Ms Axleby asked if it's "not safe for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples to call the police for help . . . why would they want to join their ranks?"
She also questioned what Victoria Police have done to ensure the elimination of racism internally and create safe spaces for Indigenous officers.
“More Aboriginal police officers is only a good thing if racist laws, policies and ways of policing are changed," she said.
"Instead of governments pouring taxpayer dollars into more police and prison cells, they could be investing that money in community-controlled organisations, Aboriginal legal, family violence prevention and health services.
"These are the reforms that will make a real difference to our mob.”
Change the Record Co-Chair Cheryl Axleby. Source: Supplied
Independent Anti-Corruption Commission findings
It comes just weeks after the Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission, Victoria's police oversight body, found the force failed in its handling of Aboriginal complaints.
IBAC examined its handling of 41 complaints made by Aboriginal people and its oversight of 13 serious incidents involving an Indigenous person.
Of the audited complaints, 41 per cent involved those aged 17 or younger and almost half (46 per cent) were related to the use of force or assaults by police, often during an arrest.
Other common allegations concerned human rights breaches (21 per cent), duty failures (11 per cent) and improper language or harassment (10 per cent).
Some 27 of the 41 audited complaints were classified in a way that a determination of "substantiated" could be found, IBAC said.
But Victoria Police instead ruled only three were substantiated — two connected to inappropriate language and the third to duty failure.
Victoria Police patrolling the streets of Melbourne. Source: AAP
