Under Victoria State's civilian clothing scheme for police, female and gender-neutral officers can claim about an annual 1,300 dollars more than their male colleagues. As it turns out, several police officers have falsely claimed to be non-binary in order to cheat the system, but authorities have launched a major crackdown recently, targeting those who have exploited the scheme, writes the international V4NA news agency.
"So far, investigators have interviewed seven male officers in relation to the matter over the past several weeks and a search warrant was also executed at a Southern Region police station on July 21, as part of the investigation," police told Daily Mail Australia.
Victoria Police's Chief Commissioner Shane Patton opened an investigation into the suspected fraud after a big rise in the number of officers identifying as non-binary.
In an internal message, Commissioner Patton said that "conduct of this sort, if validated, is not acceptable and falls far short of the standards I expect from Victoria Police members."
The self-describing of an officer's gender was introduced three years ago to support gender diversity in law enforcement. However, from now on, those who want to keep receiving the extra allowance will have to make a sworn statement that they are non-binary.
Chief Commissioner Patton also told reporters that officers who committed serious misconduct could face dismissal.
"I don't step away from this. I make no apologies," the commissioner said, adding that "it sounds severe, but it is severe because we as an organization can't afford to have our reputation tarnished by a very small few, and I know that the police officers, the vast majority, are very much behind me on this."
In February, a Catholic police officer who spent 36 years with Victoria Police was sacked for “disgraceful or improper conduct” after posting online comments that allegedly disparaged the LGBTQ community.
Sergeant Bruno Staffieri was found guilty of the misconduct charges by Victoria Police’s internal disciplinary panel. At the time, the 62-year-old released a statement to The Age, which said he would consider appealing the decision, but would never resile from his faith.
I’m obviously disappointed that I was dismissed after years of impeccable service, but I stand by my Christian beliefs,”
Mr Staffieri said. He was investigated over ten comments made on social media and the force’s internal communication platform, known as Yammer, some of which were allegedly critical of Victoria Police’s campaign to promote workplace equality for LGBTQ members.
