A young woman has opened up on how she was driven out of the police force due to several challenges, as Victoria grapples with dwindling numbers.
Molly Gribble, 23, joined Victoria Police when she was just 20, describing the decision as spontaneous but full of optimism.
She revealed how she quickly became disillusioned by the exhausting roster, frequent overtime, issues with hierarchy, and broader cultural problems.
‘If you do a s*** job, you’re going to hear about. It can be very toxic.You miss out on a lot. I felt like I did lose a bit of my life there for a little bit,’ Ms Gribble said.
Her comment comes as data shows the force has fallen to just 15,601 full-time officers under the Allan government, the lowest figure since September 2019.
Over the same period, Victoria’s population has grown by more than 500,000 people, while crime rates have surged by more than 20 per cent.
Ms Gribble threw in the towel after three years and said she was drawn to the job after a chance encounter.
‘I got pulled over one day by a female police officer and I was looking at her, and she was all kitted out. And I was like, that could be really cool,’ she said.
Former Victorian police officer Molly Gribble (pictured) has laid out why she quit the force after just three years in the role
Ms Gribble said she spent 12 weeks at the academy before being posted to Werribee, one of the busiest stations in the state.
‘So much going on… probably top five busiest stations in Victoria. So you learn heaps, you’re thrown in the deep end, that’s for sure.’
But behind the excitement, she says the reality of policing quickly set in with paperwork, shift work and long hours.
‘What they don’t warn you about is the paperwork,’ she said.
‘You go to a job and you might apprehend someone, and then you are in the station for the next five hours.’
She described exhausting rosters, frequent overtime and little recovery time between shifts.
‘I remember one time I did overtime to 3am and I had to be back at 9am. The shift work is hard. It is really hard, and it takes its toll,’ Ms Gribble said.
While she said she could mentally cope with confronting incidents, such as dead bodies, her resilience was tested when her father was diagnosed with terminal cancer just 18 months into her career.
While Molly Gribble said she could mentally cope with confronting incidents such as dead bodies, her resilience was tested when her dad was diagnosed with terminal cancer just 18 months into her career
Ms Gribble continued working during his illness and death but said the emotional toll was devastating.
After her father’s death, she told her mother she could no longer cope.
‘I walked downstairs one morning and I said to my mum I don’t think I can do this anymore.’
She attempted to transfer closer to home in Geelong to be near family, but the request was rejected.
The decision ultimately pushed her to resign.
‘Honestly, I haven’t looked back,’ Ms Gribble said.
Beyond grief, she described broader cultural issues within policing, including hierarchy, judgement and isolation.
‘It’s very hierarchical. You call your senior sergeant, boss. It just really grinded my gears.’
Victoria’s population has grown by more than 500,000 people, while crime rates have surged by more than 20 per cent since 2019 (pictured, a brawl in Melbourne)
She also said officers are harshly judged by colleagues.
Despite everything, Ms Gribble said she doesn’t regret joining, but she is adamant she won’t return.
Long hours, burnout and mental health pressures have been increasingly cited as reasons officers leave the force, particularly among younger recruits.
Victorian Police Association boss Wayne Gatt said Australia’s largest state ought to have more than 17,014 police officers, but Victoria is more than 1,400 short.
‘Stations are closing, experienced police are leaving and the force is losing more police through the exit door than it is recruiting through the academy door,’ he said.
‘A proactive policing model, designed to prevent crime before it occurs, is the best way to reduce crime and victims of crime.
‘But it requires adequate police numbers to succeed.’
Premier Jacinta Allan hit back at the criticism stating Victoria had the ‘largest police force in the nation’.
She said the current recruitment campaign was already seeing application numbers flood in.
‘We want to see more people come and join the ranks of Victoria Police,’ she said.
