Victoria Police has been forced to backtrack on its controversial policy of using GPs to sign off on the mental and physical suitability of recruits following intense opposition from the peak doctors’ group and concerns the policy was a risk to public safety.
The move will push decision-making authority for assessing recruit health back onto Victoria Police medical officers, potentially causing massive delays in the midst of a staffing crisis for the force.
The backflip comes just eight months after Victoria Police radically changed its entry requirements to become a police recruit in a bid to boost flagging staff numbers, including dropping minimum educational standards, lowering English language proficiency, scrapping in-person psychological assessments and cutting the duration of training.
Victoria Police also decided to assign responsibility to GPs to grant the final sign-off on whether someone is mentally and physically capable of serving as a police officer.
Last week, the head of the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners, Anita Munoz, met with Chief Commissioner Mike Bush to air a list of “serious concerns” about the police’s decision to cancel its internal screening program in favour of reviews conducted by general practitioners.
The meeting followed a letter from Munoz to Bush in late January warning that “fast-tracking measures to boost police numbers must not come at the cost of lower standards that put your workforce and the Victorian public at risk”.
The RACGP had not been consulted about the change in July 2025 and has repeatedly expressed deep misgivings about the new procedure, including warning about recruits engaging in “doctor shopping” in an attempt to get approval.
In an interview with The Age, Munoz said the force would now change its policy following the meeting last Wednesday.
“I’ve been reassured that they don’t want GPs to shoulder the responsibility of a final determination on a candidate’s suitability,” she said.
“The role of the GP really is more one of screening for medical conditions of importance, and also helping candidates to recognise their degree of suitability. It would also be flagging to the VicPol medical team any candidates that will require more careful assessment before progressing on to training.
“It’s a process of screening and not determination, not making the final decision.”
Munoz also confirmed GPs would not be responsible for psychometric testing.
“From my understanding, GPs will not be required or expected to make an assessment of psychometric testing. I think that has been recognised as not a feasible way to conduct the psychometric evaluation.”
A Victoria Police spokesperson said the force was “strengthening” its physical and mental health assessment process following feedback from RACGP.
“This includes providing general practitioners with documentation making it clear Victoria Police carries the onus in ultimately deciding whether an applicant is suitable for the job.
“We are also providing more comprehensive educative material to guide GPs on the scope of assessments, while applicants will be required to formally attest their medical history has been fully and accurately disclosed.”
RACGP and Victoria Police will also develop a special course for GPs that will educate them on the specific requirements for assessing police recruits.
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Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: www.smh.com.au
