What is the role of Victoria Police?
The Victoria Police response to the bushfires includes three distinct areas of responsibility: • the emergency response • the Disaster Victim Identification (DVI) process • the criminal investigation into the fires. Victoria Police personnel responded to the fires both during and after they happened, along with other emergency services such as the Country Fire Authority (CFA) and the Department of Sustainability and Environment (DSE). Taskforce Phoenix was established to investigate the circumstances of all fires that caused death across Victoria, from the view of a coronial investigation and, where appropriate, a criminal investigation. The DVI process is separate to the criminal investigation. It is part of the investigation undertaken by Victorian Police for the State Coroner. The DVI Commander controls the Victoria Police procedure for identification of the bushfire victims. The Victorian DVI process is internationally adopted and is based on Interpol procedures.
