Outrage as police officer who was fired for refusing to get a Covid jab is not allowed back on the force – despite Victoria Police struggling to fill roles

A Victoria police officer who was sacked for refusing to get a Covid vaccination has been permanently banned from the force despite being short 800 police officers.

Tristan Penfold would love to rejoin the police, but he has been told there is no way back in Victoria or any other state.

Mr Penfold joined the force in 2019 but was suspended at the end of 2021 for refusing to be vaccinated and dismissed from the force in January 2022.

He had said he was willing to get a Novavax jab – favored by some people who did not want to get mRNA-based vaccines such as those from Pfizer and Moderna – but it was not available in Australia at the time.

Appearing on Sunrise on Monday morning, Mr Penfold said he and a number of other former anti-vax officers would be ‘happy to return to fill a much-needed gap’.

Victoria Police has 800 vacancies in the force, which has seen the opening hours of 43 suburban stations reduced.

Mr Penfold said being a police officer meant ‘everything’ to him.

“It meant community, creating a better place for my daughter to live and a better place for everyone,” he said.

“Unfortunately the chief constable (of Victoria Police) is not interested in re-employing us.”

Rising crime rates and declining police resources have made no difference to the force’s policies.

“All former police officers seeking new employment must undergo a suitability assessment before returning to Victoria Police,” a spokeswoman told Daily Mail Australia.

‘The application process for all new and former police officers includes an assessment by a suitability panel.

“The panel will consider all integrity issues, including previous disciplinary matters, and members who have resigned or been dismissed following an investigation are not eligible to reapply.”

Mr Penfold said there were no other disciplinary reasons why the force would not rehire him.

He said the refusal to be vaccinated against Covid “is the only stain on my career”. This also applies to some of my colleagues.’

However, he could not say how many people are in the same boat as him.

“The number ranges from 35 to somewhere in the hundreds, depending on how you stack the numbers,” he said.

Tristan Penfold (pictured), who said the police force meant ‘everything’ to him, is keen to rejoin the force but has been told there is no way back in Victoria or any other state

‘I won’t say they all want to return. Unfortunately, for some, the damage has already been done. However, there are quite a few, like me, who are willing to return.”

Despite the vaccine mandate no longer applying, Mr Penfold said the situation is: “Once terminated, you may never re-apply for or be re-hired by the Victoria Police.”

“That will spill over to other states as well,” he said.

In a plea for Victoria Police to change its mind on the issue, Mr Penfold said there is “no reason to continue to have a shortage of members” now that the vaccine mandate is over.