Victoria police will still be involved in public drunkenness cases after decriminalisation, documents say

Exclusive: Draft framework suggests officers could provide ‘outreach and transport’, catching union off-guard

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Victoria police will continue to play a role in responding to public drunkenness when it is decriminalised in November, according to state government documents, in a move that has raised the ire of the police union and the state’s Aboriginal legal service.

A draft service framework for the new health-based response to public intoxication describes police as being responsible for delivering a “secondary response” when primary health workers are not available, including “due to limitations in geographic coverage and times”.

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