Arabic version: ضابط يستعيد منصبه بعد فصله بسبب القيادة تحت تأثير الكحول أثناء الخدمة

According to ABC News, a Victoria Police sergeant involved in the search for Dezi Freeman has had his dismissal reversed after crashing an unmarked police car while affected by alcohol during duty.

The unnamed officer rear-ended another vehicle on Hickory Road in Berwick shortly before 7am on September 10 last year. The car contained firearms, and the sergeant returned a breath-test reading of 0.07. He told Victoria’s police disciplinary board that he had consumed two “very strong” bourbon and cokes about three hours earlier because he was desperate to sleep after learning that Freeman had murdered two officers.

The Police Registration and Services Board said driving a police vehicle while affected by alcohol was particularly serious, and said the presence of firearms and the officer’s availability status substantially aggravated the conduct. But it found dismissal was harsh because it had not taken account of his post-traumatic stress disorder, extreme fatigue and excessive workload after the Porepunkah double murder.

The officer had worked at least 68 hours across five days, including an 18-hour shift, and struggled to sleep before and after attending the funeral of Detective Leading Senior Constable Neal Thompson. The board found psychological assessments and references did not establish alcohol dependency. It also noted trauma from the officer fatally shooting an offender while on duty in 2024.

Rather than being dismissed, the sergeant will be permanently removed from his former specialist unit, assigned to an operational training team and required to donate $2,500 to Police Legacy. Victoria Police had sought to uphold the dismissal, citing reputation and public trust, while noting that the officer had received professional help.