The decision to not give police new powers when Victoria decriminalises public drunkenness has been welcomed by Aboriginal groups, but unions say it will leave police unable to intervene until offences are committed and could see workloads fall to paramedics.
Decriminalising public drunkenness was a key recommendation from the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody, over 30 years ago.Police Association of Victoria secretary Wayne Gatt said the union supported the decriminalisation of public drunkenness, but not without replacement powers for police.
Mr Gatt said other states and territories which had implemented the law reform had granted police different powers to transport, detain and move on people who did not want to engage with health services.Victorian Ambulance Union secretary Danny Hill said he supported the law reform, but was worried about the state's ability to install enough health services to respond to public drunkenness.
"But the back of an ambulance and an emergency department bed probably isn't the right place for many of these patients either."A Victorian government spokesperson disputed the idea that police would not be able to respond to community incidents and concerns.
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